https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-03-17/nato-expansion-edges-closer-with-erdogan-s-nod?cmpid=BBD031723_politics
Turkey is set to
approve Finland’s NATO entry bid today, a step toward transforming
Europe’s security landscape further as Moscow’s war in Ukraine rages to
the east.
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto
in Ankara to green-light the Nordic country’s application to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization.
That
would leave Hungary as the last hold out to an accession which would
enable the alliance to start securing the area around the Baltic Sea in
defense of its Baltic members, often seen as potential targets of
Russian aggression.
But
Turkey isn’t set to also approve Sweden’s NATO entry. If Finland enters
alone, that could slow momentum for Sweden’s bid and complicate the
alliance’s planning further down the road.
Erdogan has
criticized Sweden’s stance toward Kurdish militants, which Turkey sees
as terrorists. His tougher approach toward Sweden may help to garner
support from conservative and nationalist voters as he faces elections
in May. Still,
including Finland would double the length of NATO’s border with Russia,
which now comprises just 6% of Russia’s land perimeter. It would also
mean NATO could improve surveillance of Russia’s western flank with the
help of Finland’s well-trained military. By
approving Finland’s entry into the alliance after months of
negotiations, Erdogan is once again showing his ability to shape events
far beyond Turkey’s borders. — Sylvia Westall
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Erdogan at the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022. Photographer: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg