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After an intense political process, Finland and Sweden handed in their formal requests for North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO membership on Wednesday.
The bids were warmly received by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as he welcomed NATO ambassadors from both countries to the bloc's headquarters in Brussels.
Having previously served as Prime Minister of Norway, Stoltenberg said the decisions of his Nordic neighbors to join NATO come at "a critical moment for our [Norway's] security."
Stoltenberg said that existing member countries agree on the importance of expansion. He also stressed that while the bloc is already strong in the Baltic region, it will help to increase security overall.
Turkey has so far indicated it won't support the idea of further Nordic accession into the world's largest military alliance – something that may quickly put an end to these bids. Any NATO expansion requires the backing of all its 30 member states, which could make Turkey a kingmaker when it comes to the final call on the requests.
As a close ally of Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be struggling to balance his nation's support for Ukraine's right to self-determination with preserving relations with Moscow.
Turkey said it does not support NATO enlargement over the Nordic countries' links to what it views as terrorist organizations, a label refuted by many members of their Kurdish communities.
"In their eyes, I'm a terrorist, my child is a terrorist, my unborn child is also a terrorist because we are Kurds," said Vefa Bedlisi from Sweden's Kurdish Democratic Society Center.
Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of haboring followers of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, whom it believes was behind a coup attempt in 2016, and supporters of militant organization Kurdistan Workers Party.
But forcing concessions from the Swedish government could prove an uphill battle, as Sweden's Kurdish immigrant community has gained political influence over the years with a handful of them currently serving as members of parliament.
Bedlisi insists groups like his wants to help improve the lives in Kurdish communities living in Turkey and other countries where some have battled ISIS in recent years.
"We don't want [Swedish] Kurds to be used as a bargaining chip. We are humans," Bedlisi said.
While Sweden and Finland initially planned to send delegations to Ankara in order to discuss Turkey's objections to their NATO bids, Erdogan told them not to bother coming.
Despite this, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto hopes Turkey's objections can be overcome through "constructive discussions."
In an address to Sweden's parliament, Niinisto said Erdogan had initially supported the two countries' NATO bids during a phone call a month ago.
Regardless of what Erdogan's end game may be, the Turkish leader appears to be in a strong position to secure some concessions at a time when he is struggling with support at home and could lose next year's Presidential election.
(CGTN)
