Turkey-West-NATO Deal: EU Membership in Exchange For Approval of Sweden’s NATO Bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed that Turkey will ratify Sweden’s NATO membership application, in a quid pro quo wherein Stockholm vows to get behind a re-energized effort by Ankara to join the EU. Turkey’s decision Erdogan told the press on Monday, before flying to the NATO summit in Vilnius, that he had agreed to green-light Sweden’s accession to NATO provided that Turkey’s path to European Union membership was reopened. Erdogan later held a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Council President Charles Michel. As a result, Turkey has agreed to…