NATO chief: Turkey has “legitimate concerns” about terrorism
HELSINKI (AP) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Turkey has “legitimate concerns” about terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously.
Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and says it will not support the accession of both Nordic countries to NATO until they change their policies.
Speaking at a joint news conference with President Sauli Niinistö, Stoltenberg stressed that “no other NATO ally has suffered more from terrorist attacks than Turkey” and stressed its strategic geographical location with neighbors such as Iraq and Syria.
“These are legitimate concerns. This is about terrorism, it’s about arms exports,” Stoltenberg said. “We need to address the security concerns of all allies, including Turkey’s concern about the terrorist group PKK.”
He spoke at the Finnish President’s summer residence in Kultaranta in western Finland.
After decades of military non-alignment, the Russian war in Ukraine forced Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership in May. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the Nordic countries of supporting Kurdish militants who have been considered terrorists by Turkey and has prevented them from joining the 30-member alliance.
“When an important key ally like Turkey raises its concerns about terrorism, of course we have to sit down and take them seriously. And that’s what we’re doing,” Stoltenberg said.
Ankara’s demands to Helsinki and Stockholm also include the lifting of arms export restrictions to Turkey and the extradition of members of certain Kurdish organizations opposed to Erdogan’s government.
The NATO chief has tried to resolve the dispute in recent weeks, but did not disclose on Sunday whether progress had been made.
Later on Sunday, he participated in an annual discussion panel at Kultaranta together with Finnish and Nordic politicians, foreign and security policy experts and military representatives.
Stoltenberg will visit Sweden on Monday to discuss with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
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