Experts indicate that Sweden's NATO membership will pave the way for Türkiye's expectations to be addressed on a more realistic basis, stating that with Sweden's accession, the Baltic Sea becoming a NATO sea will result in an increase in the Turkish army's knowledge and experience in this region.
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi, noting that Türkiye has proven to be a loyal NATO ally, said, “When the counter-terrorism coordination unit, desired by Türkiye, is established within NATO, Türkiye will be able to more strongly vocalize its arguments regarding counter-terrorism with NATO member countries.”
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi from the Department of Political Science and International Relations (English) at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, evaluated Sweden's approval of NATO membership.
The Baltic Sea Becoming a NATO Sea
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi reminded that when Sweden's NATO membership first came to the agenda, Türkiye asked Sweden for support in counter-terrorism. He said, “Sweden had made certain updates to its own counter-terrorism law in line with Türkiye's requests. Sweden's membership in NATO, in turn, paves the way for Türkiye's expectations to be addressed on a more realistic basis. Türkiye can exert greater pressure on many issues it wants from Sweden, under the NATO umbrella and within the framework of allied relations. Furthermore, it is clear that with Sweden, the Baltic Sea becoming a NATO sea will result in an increase in the Turkish army's knowledge and experience in this region.”
Türkiye Has Always Supported NATO's Open Door Policy
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi also explained that Türkiye has always supported NATO's open-door policy, stating, “Its acceptance of Finland and Sweden was a natural outcome of this process. In addition, the stance taken against Sweden and its approval of membership last, apart from Hungary, fed Türkiye's image of incompatibility in relations with the West. We can say that the cloud of suspicion of Western countries over Türkiye still persists.”
US Efforts to Strengthen Defense Line Against Russia via NATO
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi also noted that Sweden's accession to NATO can be considered the last step in the US's efforts to strengthen its defense line against Russia via NATO since the end of the Cold War, and continued:
“Although Sweden has adopted military neutrality as a policy since the 19th century, it has actually been collaborating with NATO for the past 20-30 years. Sweden was involved in NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s and later supported other NATO-led operations. On the other hand, at the level of Swedish society, although the idea of NATO membership has historically remained largely a minority view, this perception changed after the Russia-Ukraine war, and the idea of joining NATO gradually became more popular.”
The Importance of Sweden Joining NATO After Finland's Accession
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi also stated that Sweden's accession to NATO, following Finland's entry last year, is particularly important for the Baltic Sea and Northeast European region. He added, “The Baltic countries in the region, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, have also agreed to jointly build new defense systems in response to increasing security concerns in the region. The Latvian Minister of Defense described this decision as 'defending NATO's eastern flank.' Gotland Island, part of Sweden located in the Baltic Sea, also has a critical role in being considered a NATO base and in the military defense of the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe.”
NATO Gaining Supremacy in the Baltic and Northern European Region Against Russia
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi, stating that all these developments will lead to NATO gaining supremacy against Russia in the Baltic and Northern European region, expressed the following:
“Sweden is both a wealthy country and a country with a developed defense industry. Therefore, it will make very significant contributions both in terms of financial contribution and the Alliance's arms inventory. Furthermore, the opening of a northern front against Russia is also of critical geo-strategic importance. In addition, responding to the Russian leadership, which thought it would strike a blow to NATO with the Ukraine war, with two new members is also strategically important.”
Türkiye's Importance Within the Alliance
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi noted that Sweden's membership, realized in line with Türkiye's requests being taken into account, can be evaluated as a reminder of Türkiye's importance and position within the alliance, and said, “This situation could have a preventive effect on similar disputes arising between Türkiye and other NATO members.”
Türkiye Has Proven to be a Loyal NATO Ally
Research Assistant Ali Ekmekçi concluded his evaluations on the matter as follows:
“Türkiye has proven to be a loyal NATO ally. It has signaled that Türkiye has a place within NATO's strategy and wishes to further develop its allied relations. Furthermore, when the counter-terrorism coordination unit, desired by Türkiye, is established within NATO, Türkiye will be able to more strongly vocalize its arguments regarding counter-terrorism with NATO member countries.”