“The bargain only works if you’re willing to go,” write Mark Wallace and Madeline Choelson in their letter.

According to a letter published in the Financial Times, the NATO military alliance is even said to be ready to temporarily expel Turkey.

More precisely, the letter is signed by Mark Wallace, former US Ambassador to the UN and the Madeleine Joelson, Executive Director of the Turkish Democracy Project. With their text, the two want to “answer” the columnist of the newspaper Gideon Rahman, who had said so a few days ago NATO must pay Turkey financial compensation approve the accession of Finland and Sweden.

“The problem with this strategy is that it rewards Erdogan’s bad behavior. It will encourage him to push for more concessions next time that NATO needs a unanimous vote to face a crisis. Any concessions resulting from the alliance will be seen by Erdogan as a diplomatic victory, helping him bolster domestic support and his re-election bid next year,” the letter said.

Wallace and Joelson then wrote clearly against “bargaining” with Turkey under the current conditions.

“The truth is that TThe bargain only works if you intend to leave. As long as Erdogan knows the members [of ΝΑΤΟ] are reluctant to take the final step and remove Turkey, even if temporary, it will continue to have the upper hand in the negotiations. NATO members already know that while Turkey is in NATO, Erdogan is not. You have to be ready to take the step towards that goal.”

“If NATO rules are changed to allow this the temporary suspension of Member States’ participation until their leaders realign themselves with the principles and interests of the alliance, Erdogan will grasp the prospect of the real economic and strategic consequences of his actions. As Rahman himself points out, it was the Saudi boycott of Turkish goods, not an offer of economic aid, that prompted Erdogan to seek new ties with Saudi Arabia. If you want to exit the Grand Bazaar for a fair price, you first need to know where the exits are,” the article concludes.