The Facts
Turkish President Recep Erdoğan stated on Sunday that his government could accept Finland into NATO without ratifying Sweden, citing that Helsinki "should not make the same mistake" Stockholm did.
His signaling comes as Ankara last week suspended dialogue to accept the Nordic duo's accession to the alliance in the wake of a protest in the Swedish capital in which a copy of the Quran was burned.
The Spin
Narrative A
Turkey does not oppose NATO enlargement, however, it does take a stand against countries that protect those who pose a security threat to Ankara. Sweden holds a bigger PKK presence than Finland and has long been criticized for its housing of various terrorists. There must be a change in the country's stance towards the matter if they wish to join NATO alongside Finland.
Narrative B
The statement by Erdoğan may be an attempt to reopen negotiations, or it may be an attempt to cause a divide between Finland and Sweden. While much of Turkey's disapproval has always been directed at Sweden, Finland has made it consistently clear that NATO entry is a joint ticket. Sweden is as valuable an asset to NATO as NATO is to Sweden, and — for the sake of the Atlantic Alliance — it will be best for all parties if the issue is resolved.
