Documents from Finland, Sweden do not meet expectations: Türkiye
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that all negotiations on the Nordic countries’ accession to NATO must address Turkey’s demands first.
The documents that Sweden and Finland sent to Turkey regarding their NATO offerings do not meet our expectations, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, adding that the country’s security problems must be addressed.
“Finland’s and Sweden’s response did not address Turkey’s security concerns,” the top Turkish diplomat said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Norwegian and Irish counterparts following meetings in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Cavusoglu added that Ankara has informed Stockholm, Helsinki and NATO about the shortcomings.
He said that all negotiations on the Northern European countries’ attempts to join NATO must address Turkey’s demands first.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on 18 May, a decision spurred on by Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, which began on 24 February.
Türkiye, a longtime member of the alliance, has raised objections to their membership offers and criticized the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
READ MORE: Turkey’s position on Nordic NATO messages will not change until counter-terrorism measures
Nordic support for terrorist groups
By the end of May, Türkiye had hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations on their NATO applications in the capital, Ankara.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the talks had not been “at the desired level”.
In its more than 35-year-old terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016 in Turkey, killing 251 people and injuring 2,734.
The Turkish government accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, especially the military, police and judiciary.
The accession of the Nordic nations requires the unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member countries.
READ MORE: Sweden looks forward to continuing the dialogue with Turkey on NATO’s bid: PM
Source: AA