It took Finland and Sweden a long time to join NATO together, but according to Lagendijk that doesn’t work with Turkey. Ankara opposes it because it believes Sweden hosts Kurdish terrorists. And Erdogan is eager to flex his muscles ahead of the May 14 Turkish presidential election. Finland and Sweden are no longer moving in tandem towards such membership, Lagendijk notes.
Enter Finland
‘The Finnish President’s visit is actually a kind of conclusion of this procedure. Erdogan is expected to announce at a joint press conference with his Finnish colleague on Friday that the Turkish parliament will approve Finland’s accession before the break, before April.’
“I think Sweden is anxiously awaiting the result of the Turkish presidential election.”
According to Lagendijk, Sweden has been trying for a while to stop a Finnish ‘Einzelgang’ by appealing for Scandinavian solidarity, but the country also understands why neighboring Finland is in a hurry to join NATO: after all, the country has a border of about 1,300 kilometers with Russia.
“Don’t forget that Finland has a border of more than 1300 kilometers with Russia”
Elections
According to Lagendijk, Sweden looks forward to the Turkish elections on May 14, although he thinks that even if Erdogan wins the election, he will allow Sweden to join the alliance. After all, then there will be the loot, the presidency, and there will no longer be a need to present yourself to the electorate as the strong statesman who keeps even mighty NATO on a tight leash. “Sweden, whoever is president, is expected to become a member after May 14 and before the NATO summit in July.”
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