Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - As the West works to send a message of resolve to Russia and China, NATO leaders will ask Turkish Presid...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - As the West works to send a message of resolve to Russia and China, NATO leaders will ask Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to lift his veto over Finland and Sweden's application to join the military alliance when they meet for a three-day summit on Tuesday.
The Madrid summit, which is taking place in the shadow of Russia's conflict in Ukraine, comes at a crucial time for the transatlantic relationship following failures in Afghanistan and internal strife under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw Washington from the nuclear alliance.
Diplomats reported that talks among the frequently fractious organisation were still ongoing, but leaders hoped to reach agreements on increasing military assistance to Ukraine, increasing joint defence spending, reaffirming their resolve to confront China's military rise, and increasing the number of troops on alert to defend the Baltic States.
In order to address migration and militant groups in the Sahel region of Africa, Spain, whose king will host a dinner for leaders, is also advocating for increased NATO attention to the southern flank.
As part of a larger U.S. strategy for a more assertive Western presence in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China, the leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea are anticipated to attend a portion of the summit.
In a speech last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pledged, "We will do more to ensure we can defend every square inch of allied territory, at all times and against any threat."
The summit is likely to agree on a compromise by promising prompt reinforcements, despite British and American officials' advice against the Baltic request for permanent multinational forces in the region.
Latvia is looking to Canada to commit more troops there, while Germany has already stated that it will increase the number of troops ready to defend Lithuania should Russia attempt to annex NATO territory. Britain is also expected to increase the number of troops ready to defend Estonia.
BY TURKEY
Since Ukraine is not a member of NATO and the organisation was founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet threat, it has no legal obligation to defend the country.
However, the invasion by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 has caused a geopolitical shift, with Ukraine formally becoming a candidate to join the European Union and Finland and Sweden seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The expansion of the alliance that the Russian leader wished to stop would occur if Finland and Sweden were admitted to NATO.
"It, in my opinion, conveys to Putin a crucial message. And I believe it would greatly enhance the alliance "After visiting Finland, Latvia, and Turkey, U.S. Senator Angus King remarked of Finland and Sweden.
Infuriated by what it claims to be Helsinki and Stockholm's support for Kurdish militants and arms embargoes against Ankara, Turkey is likewise putting that unity to the test.
It would be challenging to strike a settlement during the summit, according to a Turkish government official participating in the negotiations between the three nations and NATO's Stoltenberg, who told Reuters that Sweden and Finland must first address Turkish concerns.
Although there were meetings, the official lamented that the expected actions were not being taken.
According to officials, Sweden has established a procedure for continued dialogue. Two top-ranking NATO ambassadors, however, claimed that the disagreement was more about politics than technical standards.
In an effort to overturn U.S. and European priorities before a presidential election in June 2023, Erdogan's position has found support at home. He has raised tensions with Greece, a fellow NATO member, in recent weeks, threatened additional military actions in northern Syria, and refused to support Western sanctions against Russia for the conflict in the Ukraine.
Soner Cagaptay, a Turkey expert at the Washington Institute, a U.S. think tank, said, "I think there's practically nil likelihood that this issue will be settled at the Madrid meeting."
In order to press for progress with Finland and Sweden, whose leaders will be in Madrid, U.S. President Joe Biden may meet with Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO conference.
However, Cagaptay noted that Erdogan might try to use the circumstance to increase his support and call a potential snap election in November before the actual election in June 2023.
