Turkey’s concerns for Sweden, Finland’s NATO offers “legitimate”: President
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Turkey’s security concerns over Sweden and Finland’s intention to join the alliance were based on “fair and legitimate” reasons, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
“Both countries should clearly show that they have given up supporting terrorism, that they have lifted sanctions on Turkey and that they are ready to show alliance solidarity,” Erdogan told NATO chiefs in a telephone conversation, Xinhua news agency reported.
Stoltenberg stressed “the need to meet the expectations of Turkey, an important ally.”
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that broke out at the end of February.
NATO allies, apart from Turkey, have welcomed the Nordic appeal. However, Ankara, referring to the Swedish and Finnish ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other anti-Turkey banned groups, opposed their entry into the alliance.
Turkey demanded a series of “concrete assurances” from Sweden and Finland, which included “cessation of political support for terrorism”, “elimination of the source of terrorist financing” and “cessation of arms support” for the PKK and its Syrian-Kurdish offshoots.
The demands also include the lifting of the two countries’ arms sanctions against Turkey.