The Wall Street Journal op-ed follows McCain Institute delegation visits to Stockholm and Helsinki last week.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As America’s NATO allies prepare to meet in Vilnius, Lithuania next month at the head of state level, McCain Institute Board Member and former U.S. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper and McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas argue in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal that Turkey and Hungary – the two remaining obstacles for Sweden’s ascension to NATO – should drop their objections immediately and that Sweden should swiftly be welcomed as a full member of the alliance. Failure to do so would undermine the united front presented by the alliance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022.
“With NATO’s next major summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania, there are only a few weeks for the alliance to consummate its goal of including both Finland and Sweden. Any further delay will dilute (or even undermine) the message to Vladimir Putin: that his illegal war against Ukraine has both united and expanded the alliance against Moscow’s aggression.”—Mark T. Esper and Evelyn N. Farkas in today’s Wall Street Journal.
Read the article HERE or below.
Op-Ed: Turkey Must Allow Sweden into NATO
The Wall Street Journal
By Mark T. Esper and Evelyn N. Farkas
June 1, 2023
With Turkey’s presidential election now decided, it is time for the two holdouts, Turkey and Hungary, to approve Sweden’s application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Stockholm deserves accession, which is overdue. With NATO’s next major summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania, there are only a few weeks for the alliance to consummate its goal of including both Finland and Sweden. Any further delay will dilute (or even undermine) the message to Vladimir Putin: that his illegal war against Ukraine has both united and expanded the alliance against Moscow’s aggression.
Finland joined the alliance in April, but its Nordic neighbor was left out, a hostage to Turkey’s shifting objections. Hungary has also refused to approve Sweden’s accession but has signaled it will once Turkey does. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had several items for Stockholm to address. Among them was ensuring that Sweden wasn’t a haven for terrorist groups such as the PKK, also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
The Swedes responded by changing their constitution and passing new antiterrorism legislation. This new law takes effect June 1, removing what should be the final sticking point with Turkey.
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Read the rest of the article at the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Esper served as defense secretary, 2019-20, and is a McCain Institute board member. Ms. Farkas is the executive director of the McCain Institute. She served as a deputy assistant defense secretary, 2012-15.