The U.S. expressed support for Türkiye's EU accession bid after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara would approve Sweden's NATO bid if the EU approves the country's yearslong process, while the German leader turned it down, saying that the two issues cannot be linked.
"The United States has always supported Turkey's European Union membership aspirations and continues to do so," the White House said on Monday, adding that those discussions are a matter between Ankara and the bloc's 27 members.
"Our focus is on Sweden, which is ready to join the NATO Alliance," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out against linking Sweden's possible NATO accession to a revival of the EU accession process with Türkiye.
The two issues were not connected, Scholz said in Berlin on Monday.
"That's why, in my opinion, they should not be understood as related issues," he said.
Scholz reiterated that Sweden had fulfilled all the requirements for joining NATO.
"I hope that we will soon succeed in Sweden becoming a NATO member."
President Erdoğan surprised many earlier in the day by making approval of Sweden's admission to NATO dependent on the revival of Türkiye's EU accession talks with Ankara.
Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU’s predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.
“Türkiye was kept waiting at the door of the European Union for more than 50 years while almost all NATO members are EU members,” Erdoğan lamented. He said he conveyed Türkiye’s expectation from the EU during a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday. “I will make the same statements in Vilnius. Our nation expects us to do so. It has been more than 50 years. We are not an ordinary country. They should know this,” he said.
