The Turkish President continues to veto the question of Sweden and Finland joining NATO. But he wouldn’t have any objections to Finland alone – but he does make conditions.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated his approval for Finland’s admission to NATO – without Sweden. “If necessary, we can give a different message in relation to Finland,” Erdogan said in a speech to young people on Sunday evening, according to a report by the state news agency Anadolu. He added: “Sweden will be shocked if we make a different statement about Finland.” At the same time, he warned Finland not to make the same “mistakes” as the neighboring country.
Finland contacted Turkey immediately after Erdogan’s new statements. The statements do not change anything about Finland’s intention to join NATO together with Sweden, President Sauli Niinistö told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
As a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the two Nordic countries decided last year that they wanted to join NATO after decades without belonging to a military alliance. To do this, all 30 current members of the alliance must ratify the proposals, including Turkey. However, Erdogan has blocked a recording for months. He accuses Sweden of supporting “terrorist organizations” such as the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. He is also demanding the extradition of 130 alleged “terrorists”.
Last week, Erdogan said Sweden could not count on his country’s support after an Islamophobic politician burned a Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The Turkish president is currently in the election campaign: Erdogan is trying for a third term in the elections in May. NATO member Hungary has not yet agreed to the admission of the two Nordic countries.
Source: Stern
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