The United States has leverage over Turkey on the issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO, with today's visit of the two countries' leaders to Washington providing US President Joe Biden with an opportunity to voice US support for NATO northward expansion, international relations expert from the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Batyuk told Sputnik on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) The United States has leverage over Turkey on the issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO, with today's visit of the two countries' leaders to Washington providing US President Joe Biden with an opportunity to voice US support for NATO northward expansion, international relations expert from the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian academy of Sciences Vladimir Batyuk told Sputnik on Thursday.
The expert noted that Biden has bargaining power over Ankara to make it reconsider its position on the Nordic states' accession to NATO. The possible incentives may include "lifting sanctions on Turkey for purchasing Russian S-400 missile systems and selling Ankara the most advanced US fighter-bombers."
Yet another critical issue for Turkey - the West's continuing support for the Kurdish movement - may remain unresolved, even though Washington and Ankara could reach some compromise on this issue, Batyuk said.
"After all, (the Kurdish issue) concerns both the American stature and (the US) position in the middle East, which have already significantly faltered. Therefore, it is unlikely that America will simply give up on the Kurds," the expert noted.
In the meantime, the anticipated meeting of Biden with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, which is expected to focus on the countries' application for NATO membership, would likely serve as a demonstration of Washington's support and would pave the way to their membership in the alliance, the expert stressed.
"It is evident that this meeting should demonstrate that the US fully and completely supports these countries' plans to join NATO. As a result, (the US) will exert pressure on NATO dissidents like Turkey and Croatia, with Sweden and Finland to be definitely admitted to NATO," Batyuk said.
On Wednesday, the ambassadors of Sweden and Finland handed over their countries' applications for NATO membership to the alliance's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Their membership hinges on unanimous approval by NATO member states except for Turkey and Croatia, which seem to hold back the accession process.
On Thursday, the Financial Times reported, citing a source in the know, that Turkey has blocked the start of consideration of Finland and Sweden's applications in NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly claimed that he cannot greenlight the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO due to their open support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party and Kurdish YPG militia, which are deemed terrorist organizations by Ankara.
Croatia's position on the Nordic states' potential membership in NATO was ambiguous from the start. Late April, the Croatian government and parliament pledged to support Stockholm and Helsinki's decision, with Croatian president Zoran Milanovic saying his country opposes their accession to NATO until the problems on the Balkans are resolved. In early May, Milanovic threatened to veto the countries' admission at the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid in June.
