The hopes of Sweden and Finland to join the Western defense alliance were dealt a blow on January 24 when Turkey delayed NATO accession talks with the Nordic neighbors.
On the heels of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan’s criticism of Sweden for tolerating the Quran’s burning in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Ankara made its decision public on Tuesday.
The scheduled trilateral meeting has been postponed from February to an unspecified later date. This decision could make it less likely for both countries to join NATO before Turkey’s elections for president and parliament in May.
The Swedish prime minister immediately called “for reflection, for calm in the process” to get back to productive talks between Sweden, Finland, and Turkey. Ulf Kristersson claimed that “provocateurs” were at work, seeking to injure Sweden’s attempts to join the Western military alliance led by the United States.