“Turkey is preparing to fight with the next Swedish government”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu explained in an interview with the official TRT Haber TV channel that the reason behind Turkey’s retreat on the NATO issue is that they were waiting for the Swedish elections.

He added, “But we did not expect them to act before the elections. The government that will be formed after the elections must take the necessary measures. They know that the agreement will not be ratified by Parliament if they neglect it.”

It was simply set up for disputes with the upcoming Swedish government. The talks may be less affected because the previous government’s dealings with Syrian Kurdish politicians and Amin’s leading role as Qabbah were a major source of anger in Ankara.

But Turkey’s demands that are difficult, if not impossible, to accommodate remain for even the new Swedish government to deal with.

Among other things, Turkey is demanding the extradition of people identified as terrorists in order to allow Sweden and Finland to become full members of the defense alliance. Turkish evidence has been described as very flimsy.

During the NATO summit in Madrid in June, an agreement was concluded with Turkey as a condition for Sweden and Finland to receive the status of developed countries. But the ink did not have time to dry before opinions differed about what was actually agreed upon. Turkey believes it has been promised extradition, while Sweden believes it is up to the Swedish legal system.

Turkey is now expected to use the ratification in Parliament as a new opportunity to put pressure on Sweden. So far, 26 NATO countries have approved Sweden and Finland as NATO members in their parliaments. Slovakia, Hungary and Turkey remain pending completion of membership.

But there may also be another explanation for why Turkey is so quick to revive the NATO cause. There are many indications that Turkey’s ban on Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership is also being used as leverage to buy the US F-16 fighter jet.

Next week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to New York to participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly. According to Reuters, a meeting between Erdogan and US President Joe Biden is then scheduled.

In order for Turkey to buy the fighter plane, a majority is required in the US Congress, where there is strong opposition to arms exports to Turkey. Joe Biden promised Turkey its support in this matter at the same time that Sweden and Finland were released as advanced countries.

Thus, the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has become a bat for the purchase of Turkish combat aircraft. The NATO issue is likely to be a source of concern for Sweden’s next foreign minister.