Ankara wants “results” not “verbiage” from Sweden, Finland about terrorist groups
Sweden and Finland must take into account Turkey’s security problems, says Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the NATO summit.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Ankara expects action instead of empty words from Sweden and Finland about terrorist groups.
Erdogan spoke on Tuesday before his flight to Madrid for a NATO summit that begins with his meeting with the leaders of the two Nordic countries and the Western defense bloc.
“If Sweden and Finland are to become members of NATO, they must take into account the security concerns of Turkey, which has been a member of the alliance for 70 years,” Erdogan said.
“We will hold a four-party meeting (about Sweden and Finland’s membership offer) and see what point they have reached. We do not want sayings, but results,” he added.
Erdogan added that Turkey expects “our allies not to discriminate between NATO members, and that the threat to one should be interpreted as a threat to all.”
The Turkish president also mentioned the prospect of a meeting with US President Joe Biden alongside the NATO summit for talks focused on Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
READ MORE: Turkey’s concerns ‘all legitimate and must be addressed’: NATO chief
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says:
– Türkiye is one of the top five allies that have made a significant contribution to NATO operations
– We are fighting terrorism and we play crucial roles in preventing mass immigration pic.twitter.com/eOxCaID0ZB– TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) June 28, 2022
The terrorist groups PKK and FETO
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on 18 May, a decision spurred on by Russian attacks on Ukraine, which began on 24 February.
Their accession requires the unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member countries.
But Türkiye, a longtime member of the alliance, has raised objections to their membership offerings, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
In its more than 35-year-old terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, the EU and NATO – 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.
READ MORE: Erdogan: Stockholm must change its attitude towards the PKK / YPG terrorist group
Source: TRTWorld and agencies