Erdogan sets conditions for Sweden, Finland NATO bids | News | DW
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told leaders of Sweden and Finland on Saturday that he would block their attempts to join NATO if they did not stop what he believes was their support for “terrorist” groups that threaten Turkey’s national security.
This week, the two Nordic countries formally submitted their application to join the military alliance, which ended their neutral position in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The move triggered a threat from Turkey to object to their accession, as NATO membership requires the consent of all 30 existing members.
What did Erdogan say?
Erdogan’s office said the Turkish president had shared his concerns in talks with both Swedish and Finnish leaders about the militant group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – which Ankara has been fighting since the 1980s – and the Gulen movement – which Ankara accuses to have orchestrated. a coup attempt in 2016.
Turkey has identified them as terrorist organizations and accused the Nordic countries of harboring people linked to both groups.
Erdogan told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that failing to deal with terrorist groups that threatened a NATO ally would not suit the spirit of the military alliance, his office said.
He also told Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that “Sweden’s political, economic and arms support to terrorist organizations must cease”, according to comments released by Ankara.
Erdogan also said that an arms export embargo from both countries that was imposed on Turkey after its invasion of Syria in 2019 against the Kurdish People’s Defense Unit (YPG) militia should be lifted.
The YPG is a major US ally in Syria against the militant group “Islamic State” (IS).
What was the reaction from Sweden, Finland?
The leaders of the Scandinavian countries responded to the separate calls on Twitter, where Andersson said she looked forward to “strengthening our bilateral relations, including on peace, security and the fight against terrorism.”
Niinisto said he told Erdogan that “as NATO allies, Finland and Turkey will commit to each other’s security and our relationship will thus grow stronger. Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Why do Sweden and Finland want to join NATO?
In 1949, when NATO was formed to counter the threat from the Soviet Union, both Sweden and Finland chose to stay out.
The two countries said they wanted to avoid unnecessary provocation by Moscow.
Finland shares an 810 km (approximately 1,300 kilometers) border with Russia, was once ruled by Moscow and fought against Soviet forces during World War II.
Sweden, meanwhile, has had a neutral security policy since the 19th century and has sought nuclear disarmament and dialogue, while at the same time creating a role as a mediator in international conflicts.
But the two nations went ahead with their membership application for Russia’s neighbor’s invasion of Ukraine, which had unsuccessfully tried to join NATO.
Helsinki said the invasion had “changed the whole of Europe’s security landscape”.
Public support for joining NATO has increased in both countries since the conflict in Ukraine began.
What is the answer to the membership offers?
While Turkey surprised NATO allies last week by protesting the accession, Western leaders have expressed confidence that Ankara’s objections can be overcome.
US President Joe Biden offered US “full, total, full support” and said the two countries would “make NATO stronger.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was confident that Sweden and Finland would succeed in joining the defense alliance and that Berlin would do everything to make it happen.
In a tweet after his talks with Erdogan on Saturday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “the security problems of all allies must be taken into account and that talks must continue to find a solution.”
Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952, its early entry strengthened the alliance’s southeastern flank and its relevance to the organization has probably only increased amid conflicts in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. However, its decades of bloody conflicts with Kurdish rebels, mainly in the southeast, have often posed problems for NATO allies.
mm / msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)