Turkiye says will not be pressured over Sweden’s Nato bid

ISTANBUL: Turkiye warned on Tuesday it will not be pressured into backing Sweden´s bid to join Nato and said it was still assessing whether the Nordic country´s entry would help or hurt the bloc.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan´s comments came two days before he was due to meet his Swedish counterpart in Brussels to discuss Stockholm´s attempt to become the 32nd member of the US-led defence alliance.

Nato hopes to welcome Sweden by the time alliance leaders hold a summit in Lithuania on July 11-12.

But Turkiye and fellow Nato member Hungary are holding up ratification over a range of individual disputes with both Stockholm and Brussels.

Unanimous approval from current members is required for new countries to join the world´s most powerful defence organisation.

“We never approve of the use of time pressure as a method,” Fidan told a televised press conference.

“Sweden´s security system is not able to stop provocations. This is not bringing more strength but more problems to Nato,” he said.

“In terms of strategy and security, when we are discussing Sweden´s membership of Nato, it´s a question of whether it will be a benefit or a burden.”

Hungary has indicated that it will follow Turkiye´s lead in the dispute. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday he had been holding regular consultations with Fidan about Sweden.

“In the coming days as well communication will continue to be close and continuous with the Turkish foreign minister,” Szijjarto said.

“And if there is a shift, we will of course keep our promise that Hungary will not delay any country in terms of membership.”

Sweden and its neighbour Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join Nato in the wake of Russia´s invasion of Ukraine.

Finland formally joined the bloc in April.