Will Turkey approve Sweden’s NATO membership?

One of the fallouts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is that previously neutral Nordic countries are seeking to join the NATO military alliance.

Sweden and Finland applied for membership in May, within months of Russia launching its offensive.

Turkey has objected to their entry – accusing them of harbouring members of the Kurdish group, the PKK, which Ankara, the United States and the European Union consider a “terrorist” organisation.

Both Sweden and NATO say that all parties have had their say and it’s time to close the deal.

Membership in the alliance requires unanimous approval, so Turkey could block Sweden’s entry.

What would make Turkey change its mind? And what does all of this mean for NATO’s future?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Tarik Oguzlu – professor of international relations at Istanbul Aydin University

Theresa Fallon – director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies

Pavel Felgenhauer – defence and military analyst