Possible New Members of NATO: Finland and Sweden

PKK Support of Sweden and Finland:

Come on now, as the Republic of Turkey, support and approve the NATO Membership of Finland and Sweden without vetoing. Believe me, dear readers, I have been thinking about this situation and all the possibilities since Finland's joint declaration of NATO membership. I don't know if you can digest this situation too. Honestly, I can't accept this situation. If you want, let's think aloud and examine the possible NATO memberships of Finland and Sweden. These two countries accept and support both PeKaKa and its extension Syrian PeKaKa, which Turkey has been fighting for decades, as freedom fighters.

However, although Finland does not directly recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization, it is among the countries that recognize it as a terrorist organization due to EU decisions. Except for some individual Syrian PeKaka support, the country does not give direct open support. In short, Finland continues its support implicitly, while Sweden continues its open support on all grounds, especially in finance. For example, Sweden, which has provided $210 million in support so far, is planning to increase this support to $376 million by 2023. In addition to the USA, both countries also provide defense support to the Syrian PeKaKa. The so-called Kurdistan Red Crescent, which is tasked with finding financial resources for PeKaKa's NGO structuring, especially for the organization's extensions in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, also operates in Sweden and it is calculated that it collects 30 million Euros annually under the name of donations in European countries. (2nd)

Will Turkey Veto Sweden and Finland's Membership?

However, if they only stay with that, what a journey. Not content with this, they try to disrupt the fight of the Republic of Turkey against the separatist terrorist organization, impose sanctions on the Turkish defense industry, and even impose restrictions on the products Turkey imports from its allies. So when the situation is like this, what are we asked to do, what should we do? In this case, can it be expected from Turkey to approve the NATO membership of these two countries without using the veto card as if nothing had happened? Admittedly, I think it is too early for Turkey to declare that it will veto possible NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland. However, the current situation is clear. Well, is it desired to ignore the fact that Turkey has been affected by the PeKaKa terror for years, that innocent civilians in the region have been targeted, and that tens of thousands of people have been martyred by the organization, regardless of age and gender? Yes, this is exactly the situation in which Turkey is asked to make sacrifices.

It has to be expressed with regret that "Turkey will accept it anyway, the logic has dominated all layers of NATO." This is exactly the logic, Turkey has been a reliable and loyal partner of NATO for decades, it has never been a problem or a hindrance to any country in NATO's enlargement process, it has always supported it. What can we say, this must be a kind of "Heavy Brother" model. Remember, three years ago, Turkey got fed up with it and demanded that the Syrian PeKaKa, which constitutes an important part of the so-called US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria, be designated as a terrorist organization by NATO. He stated that he would not approve the prepared security plan. In fact, although the Republic of Turkey declared that it would use its veto right in the "NATO's Baltic States Plan", it did not use its veto right at the 2019 London NATO Summit, displaying an attitude specific to a great state. However, after NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated at the summit in London that they "did not discuss how NATO should describe the YPG", it offended the Turkish people, whose heart beats with Turkey every day. It is regrettable to say that this situation has not even come to the fore.

Sweden Has Been A Warm Home For The Kurds Since The Ottoman Empire:

Let's not forget, this situation is not unique to today, it is an issue that has been developing and continuing since the Ottoman Empire. The starting point is that Mehmet Şerif Pasha, who married the sister of Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, one of the founders of the Kurdish Teavün (Solidarity) and Progress Society, was promoted to Ferik and was appointed to the Stockholm embassy in 1898. It was during his time that the separatist movement formed its base in Sweden. Sheriff Pasha, who changed his French nickname "Beau Şerif" (Beautiful Şerif) to "empty guy" in Süleyman Nazif's words, even offered services to the British to win the Kurds in Mesopotamia (Al Jazeera) during the First World War.

Due to the anti-democratic situation created by the 1971 and 1980 military coups in Sweden, it was enough to easily say "I am a member of the Communist Party or I am wanted" in the political session. According to unofficial statistics, it is stated that 6000 people came to Sweden between 1971-1984. By the way, the number of books on Kurds published in Sweden or translated into Kurdish is enormous. Let's just say that one Kurdish author has written 32 books in Swedish. (3)

What Happened in the NATO Exercise:

It should be noted that not only Sweden and Finland, but also all Scandinavian countries do not only aid and abet terrorist organizations, they also serve as guesthouses. Even the deaf sultan in Egypt knows that their PeKaKa and THKP-C are nested in Sweden and the Netherlands. Not only that, of course, they take place in their parliaments. It is also known that they openly support the bloody terror in Turkey. Oh, by the way, let's not forget Norway, which is a NATO country. NATO's "Trident Javelin" (Three Arrow Javelin) in Norway has taken its place in the memories of Turkish people. The exercise, in which simulations were used, was held at the Joint Warfare Center in Norway, approximately 300 kilometers from the capital Oslo. During this exercise, they showed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the photograph of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's statue among the leaders of the fictional rival countries within the scope of the exercise. (4)

In addition, they did not settle for this, and they tried to make it look like they are enemies of NATO by opening fake accounts in the name of President Erdogan. Upon this, Turkey immediately took a counter action and withdrew its 40 soldiers from the NATO exercise. Upon this deed, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg apologized for the incident that caused Turkey to withdraw its 40 soldiers from the NATO exercise in Norway, followed by an apology from the Norwegian Minister of Defense.

What is the Veto Right in NATO?

So, where does Turkey's "veto right" come from? From the 1949 NATO Foundation treaty. Article 10 of the 1949 NATO founding treaty states, "They may unanimously invite any European state in a position to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic Area to accede to this Treaty." bound in the form. (one)

In other words, this is an open-door policy of NATO, and it paved the way for Turkey to return to its military wing since it became a member, even when it was against the membership of Greece, which had withdrawn from NATO's military wing, for example. As you know, Greece withdrew from the military wing of NATO as a reaction after the Cyprus Peace Operation carried out by Turkey in 1974. After the junta government was overthrown in Greece, the demand of the Greek governments that came to power to return to the NATO military wing under the same conditions was not possible due to Turkey's veto. It should be noted that despite the political instability in Turkey, none of the governments that came to power did not approve of Greece's return to the military wing, which continued its threatening demands against Turkey. The most suitable environment for the return of Greece, supported by the USA, to the military wing was provided by the verbal promise of the post-coup leader General Kenan Evren on 6 October 1980 to the NATO European Supreme Allied Commander on 6 October 1980, after the Turkish veto in NATO was lifted, the Greek official Two weeks later, on 20 October 1980, he returned to the military wing of NATO. Indeed, this has had great returns. Regardless of whether it fulfills the obligations in the EU acquis, Greece has been accepted as a full member of the EU since 1 January 1981. Now, let's sit crookedly and speak correctly, the Greek Cypriot Administration, which became a member of the EU with the great efforts of both Greece and Greece, after the removal of Turkey's veto, continues its aggressive attitudes towards Turkey without stopping, using the EU ground.

Finland's Situation:

Finland, which has been in close cooperation with NATO since 2014, when the Russian Federation annexed Crimea, and with a population of 5.5 million, only 25% of the population supports NATO membership, advocated the need to remain neutral. After the Ukraine war, this situation was completely reversed, with the latest poll conducted earlier this week revealing that 76 percent of the public and the overwhelming majority of 200 MPs in parliament support NATO membership. After this situation, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin published a joint statement on May 10, 2022, explaining their reasons for joining with the words "Being a NATO member will strengthen Finland's security, Finland as a NATO member will strengthen the alliance as a whole". However, about 10 Finnish deputies argue that joining NATO would have "dangerous consequences" and that Finland should "remain neutral". Finland, which was under Swedish rule for a long time, came under Russian rule from 1809 and became independent in 1917 with the Russian Revolution. The Soviet attack in 1939 was extremely effective in the fate of the country, and they accepted important concessions regarding the Russian foreign policy and preferred to be a neutral country that got on well with its Russian neighbor. At the beginning of the Second World War, after the expansion efforts of the Soviet Union made the Baltic countries accept their base and territorial demands, it came out as a result of the Finns' refusal to demand the land and bases it claimed from Finland. The Russians could not do anything against the Finnish army, which is one-fifth of their size, by failing to pass the Mannerheim line for 3 months, and inflicted heavy losses against the Finnish ski troops in difficult winter conditions. The League of Nations (Cemiyet-i Akvam), which played the three monkeys at that time, was careful not to appear in public like the current UN, and reacted to the attack on Finland in a much shorter time than expected. He declared the Soviet Union (SB) as an aggressor and expelled him from the society. As a Scandinavian country, Norway and Sweden also made an excuse that they were going through a difficult period and declared that they could not help, while France and England left Finland to their own fate. Thereupon, the Finnish front collapsed, and the Finns had to accept all Russian demands and sign peace, when the MoH, which evaluated the situation, drove nearly a million soldiers supported by artillery and aircraft to the front. The outcome of this situation was that the communist regime drew reactions all over the world, and sympathy was felt for the Finns.

Although Sweden has not made an official statement yet, Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist also told his country's state radio, SR, that Scandinavia's defense power would increase if Sweden and Finland joined NATO. After Finland's official statement, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, without delay, claimed that Finland's admission to NATO membership would pose a threat to Russia's security and continued his statement as follows:

"Finland's entry into NATO is a threat to Russia. NATO enlargement does not make Europe a safer place."(5)

Conclusion:

Yes, dear readers, there is no doubt that the two countries' entry into NATO in some way can turn the Baltic Sea into a "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea) or, as it is called today, a NATO lake, as the Roman Empire used to say, but this situation will make Europe safer. It is seen as an obvious fact that it will not make a place. Moreover, it is considered that Koningsberg, the former capital of the Prussian State, which does not have a terrestrial connection with the RF on the Baltic coast, can rationalize the Nord Stream-2 pipeline with Kaliningrad, which is now in the hands of the RF, as a war booty. However, it is seen that since the process of both countries' admission to NATO will take time, it is appreciated that it will take months or even a year to attain official membership status. It seems that during the period until NATO membership is realized, it is planned that various security commitments can be made by the USA and the United Kingdom to Finland and Sweden. In this case, it is thought that Russia will be unable to prevent Finland and Sweden's membership applications to NATO, and the war in Ukraine may be prolonged and the RF may attempt to use nuclear weapons, even if it is small kilotons.

Footnotes:

(1) Kuzey Atlantik Antlaşma Örgütü Kuruluş Antlaşması, 4 Nisan 1949, Md. 10.  

(2) İsveç 40 yıldır PKK’yı destekliyor, Yeni Şafak gazetesi, 14 Mayıs 2022;  https://www.yenisafak.com/gundem/isvec-40-yildir-pkkyi-destekliyor-3819746/Erişim Tarihi 15.05.2022/

(3) Şoreş Reşî,  İsveç’te Kürt yayın ve çeviri dünyasından bir görünüm ,PKAN , 6 Temmuz 2019; https://www.kurdenanatolien.com/isvecte-kurt-yayin-ve-ceviri-dunyasindan-bir-gorunum/Erişim Tarihi 15.05.2022/

(4) “NATO ve Norveç Türkiye'den özür diledi”, Deutsche Welle, 17 Kasım 2017; https://www.dw.com/tr/nato-ve-norve%C3%A7-t%C3%BCrkiyeden-%C3%B6z%C3%BCr-diledi/a-41429775/Erişim Tarihi 15.05.2022/

(5) https://www.haber7.com/dunya/haber/3221792-rusyadan-tepki-natodan-destek-finlandiya-natoya-girmek-istedigini-acikladi/Erişim Tarihi 15.05.2022/