Thus, Turkey has managed to reach an agreement with Finland and Sweden on the conditions under which the former will agree to the latter’s accession to NATO. The conditions, which we present at the end of the article, are in line with the forecast we made over a month ago. At that time, we wrote that Turkey’s demands on Finland and Sweden could be met in a compromise form (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=40694). It is very good that Finland and Sweden have agreed to these compromises, realizing that they have to take into account Turkey’s fair demands, which are based on their national security interests and the spirit of partnership within the alliance they want to join.
It is also good that the Turkish leader, despite his initial bellicose statements, eventually adopted a compromise position and did not push Finland and Sweden to meet his demands in areas where they could not. This means that Finland and Sweden will have to stop the activities of the PKK and its branches on their territories and seriously consider Turkey’s demands for the extradition of its citizens. However, such extradition will not be automatic; it will have to be justified and the Gulenist movement will not be officially banned in these countries. This is essentially what we predicted in our forecast.
Erdogan’s position in this case has become Turkey’s choice in relation to NATO, as we also wrote at the time. Blocking Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO would have been a counterpoint to Turkey’s stance on the alliance, potentially leading to its collapse. This, in turn, could have led to the creation of a new defense alliance without Turkey and against Turkey. Can Turkey go along with that now? If it had a global alternative to NATO in the form of an Islamic defense union, Muslims might be happy about it. But that is not yet on the horizon. The real choice facing Turkey today is either to be part of the strongest global military-political alliance (joining which was a success for Turkey in the face of the threat of aggression from the USSR) or to be in a club of outcasts that the Kremlin is trying to drag it into (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=40768).
And this choice is quite obvious, especially in the face of the growing threat of conflict with Greece and the clash of Turkey’s interests in the Mediterranean with France. It is one thing when it comes to conflicts between two or more countries within an alliance, where other members have to reconcile them. It is quite another when it is a confrontation between Turkey and an entirely new alliance that could emerge to replace NATO if Turkey blocks its expansion. Not to mention that it would be foolish to rely on imperialist Russia in a possible conflict with NATO, whose ruling circles have repeatedly and publicly called for depriving Turkey of Kars and Constantinople (Istanbul).
Therefore, we can only be happy about the decision of all parties involved in this case. The text of the memorandum signed between Turkey, Sweden and Finland:
1. The representatives of Turkey, Finland and Sweden, under the auspices of the NATO Secretary General, have today agreed on the following.
2. NATO is an Alliance based on the principles of collective defence, indivisible security and common values. Turkey, Finland and Sweden reaffirm their commitment to the principles and values enshrined in the Washington Treaty.
3. One of the key elements of the Atlantic Alliance is unwavering solidarity and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, which poses a direct threat to the national security of the Allies as well as to international peace and security.
4. As potential NATO allies, Finland and Sweden fully support Turkey in its fight against threats to its national security. In this regard, Finland and Sweden will not support the YPG/PYD and the organization called FETÖ in Turkey. Turkey also fully supports Finland and Sweden in their fight against threats to their national security. Finland and Sweden unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Finland and Sweden unequivocally condemn all terrorist organizations that carry out attacks against Turkey and express their deepest solidarity with Turkey and the families of the victims.
5. Finland and Sweden reaffirm that the PKK is a proscribed terrorist organization. Finland and Sweden are committed to preventing the activities of the PKK and all other terrorist organizations and their branches, as well as the activities of individuals associated with affiliated and inspired groups or networks linked to these terrorist organizations. Turkey, Finland and Sweden have agreed to intensify cooperation to prevent the activities of these terrorist groups. Finland and Sweden reject the aims of these terrorist organizations.
6. In addition, Finland refers to several recent amendments to its Criminal Code, under which new acts have been recognized as punishable terrorist crimes. The most recent amendments, which entered into force on January 1, 2022, broaden the scope of participation in the activities of a terrorist group. The Law on Terrorist Crimes will enter into force on July 1, and the government is preparing to further strengthen anti-terrorism legislation.
7. Turkey, Finland and Sweden confirm that there are currently no national arms embargoes between them. Sweden is changing its national legal basis for arms exports to NATO allies. In the future, arms exports from Finland and Sweden will be carried out in accordance with the solidarity of the Atlantic Alliance and in accordance with the letter and spirit of Article 3 of the Washington Treaty.
8. Turkey, Finland and Sweden commit themselves today to take the following concrete steps
- Establish a joint structured mechanism for dialogue and cooperation at all levels of government, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies, to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, organized crime and other common problems.
- Finland and Sweden will vigorously and resolutely combat terrorism and will take all necessary steps to further strengthen domestic legislation to this end, in accordance with relevant NATO documents and policies.
- Finland and Sweden will promptly and thoroughly consider requests from Turkey for the deportation or extradition of terrorism suspects under investigation, taking into account information, evidence and operational data provided by Turkey, and will establish the necessary bilateral legal framework to facilitate extradition and security cooperation with Turkey in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition.
- Finland and Sweden will investigate and prevent all activities related to the financing and recruitment of the PKK and all other terrorist organisations and their branches, subsidiaries or inspired groups or networks, as referred to in paragraph 5.
- Turkey, Finland and Sweden undertake to combat disinformation and to prevent the misuse of their domestic legislation in the interest of or in support of terrorist organizations, including through actions inciting violence against Turkey.
- Finland and Sweden will ensure that their respective national legal frameworks on arms exports allow them to assume new commitments to NATO Allies and reflect their status as NATO members.
- Finland and Sweden commit themselves to support the fullest possible participation of Turkey and other non-EU allies in existing and future initiatives of the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy, including Turkey’s participation in the PESCO project on military mobility.
9. In order to implement these steps, Turkey, Finland and Sweden will establish a Permanent Joint Mechanism involving experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Justice, as well as intelligence and security agencies. The Permanent Joint Mechanism will be open to the participation of others.
10. Turkey reaffirms its long-standing support for NATO’s open-door policy and agrees to support the invitation to Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO at the Madrid Summit in 2022.