Deal with Sweden, Finland over NATO membership sees Turkey’s Erdogan hailed at home
Pro-government voices see agreement as Nordic countries bowing to Turkish demands, but opponents remain critical.
ISTANBUL — The deal allowing Sweden and Finland to progress with their NATO bids was portrayed as an overwhelming victory for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, with the Nordic states reported to have agreed to Ankara’s demands.
“Turkey got what it wanted,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement following an agreement at the NATO summit in Madrid.
The sentiment within Turkey’s pro-government media was summed up by a photograph carried by the state-run Anadolu news agency. A grinning Erdogan was shown standing at the NATO podium, flanked by the leaders of Sweden and Finland and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who seemed to be gazing in gratitude at the president.
Tuesday’s breakthrough came after weeks when Ankara appeared ready to scupper the alliance’s northern expansion over calls for Stockholm and Helsinki to tighten their approach to terrorism and drop restrictions on arms sales to Turkey.
