Atlantic Council experts commented: What did Turkey gain by giving up its objections against Finland and Sweden?

The US think tank Atlantic Council has published an analysis of Turkey's withdrawal of Finland and Sweden's objections to NATO membership.

In a statement he made at the end of last month, President Erdoğan said: “As long as Tayyip Erdoğan is the head of the Republic of Turkey, we will definitely not say 'yes' to the entry of countries that support terrorism into NATO”. After meeting with his secretary Jens Stoltenberg, the 'memorandum' was signed.
Atlantic Council experts, “What did Turkey gain by raising a hand in NATO?” In the analysis titled, “The door has been opened again, referring to NATO's open-door policy. As the alliance's summit in Madrid began, after weeks of tension, Turkey finally gave up its objection to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had the chance to meet face-to-face with U.S. President Joe Biden.

'MEETING WITH ERDOĞAN, THE WHITE HOUSE'S COMMITMENT'
Defense expert Chris Skaluba, whose views were included in the analysis, interpreted Erdogan's one-on-one meeting with Biden as a 'big concession' by the White House, considering the 'US administration's stance of not meeting with autocratic leaders'. Noting that Biden will also meet with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman soon, Skaluba said that these steps show that the White House 'prioritizes practical processes over pure principles'.
In the statement made by Presidency sources regarding the reconciliation, it was stated that 'Turkey got what it wanted' and it was recorded that concrete steps were taken on 'full cooperation with Turkey in the fight against PKK and its extensions'.

Rich Outzen, one of the Atlantic Council's Turkey experts, stated that bringing Ankara's concerns about terrorism to NATO's agenda was a success for him. Referring to the claim that Turkey's main goal is to buy F-16s from the USA, Outzen commented that this is not Erdogan's main goal and that security concerns about the PKK are sincere.

'ERDOĞAN'S MASTER GAME'
Atlantic Council President Fred Kempe described what happened as 'Erdogan's masterful game' and commented, 'Erdogan has raised his hand to the highest level in this process to achieve as much as possible for his security and domestic policy interests.'
In a statement on his social media account regarding the four-way meeting, US President Biden said, “I congratulate Turkey, Sweden and Finland for the memorandum reached. 'This is a critical step towards the invitation of Finland and Sweden to NATO, which will strengthen NATO and support our common security, and a great start to the summit,' he said.