The terrorist propaganda is still going on in Sweden and Finland
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May, but Turkey expressed objections to their bid, accusing the two Nordic countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
Turkey expects Sweden and Finland to take “concrete steps” to become NATO members as terror propaganda in those countries is still ongoing, the national defense minister has said.
“We are closely following the situation in Sweden and Finland. Unfortunately, we still see some provocative actions and images in these countries. We expect both Sweden and Finland to take concrete steps,” Hulusi Akar told reporters on Tuesday.
Akar’s comments came ahead of the meeting with Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen on Thursday. During the talks in the capital Ankara, Akar and Kaikkonen will discuss bilateral defense and security issues as well as Finland’s process for membership in NATO.
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – expressed objections to their bid for membership, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
Legitimate security concerns
Turkey and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum in June at a NATO summit to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
“There are commitments signed by Sweden and Finland … they must be fulfilled … the memorandum is a beginning, not an end. After these are done, the Turkish parliament will make its decision. We are also trying to help Sweden and Finland,” Akar added.
Turkey has no problem with NATO’s open door policy, but the country’s sensitivity should be respected, he stressed.
“Terrorism is one of NATO’s biggest areas of struggle. Terrorism is a serious problem for all countries right now. Türkiye is the only country that is fighting more than one terrorist organization. This needs to be seen and the awareness of what we are doing in this matter needs to be increased”, Akar added.
READ MORE: Erdogan: Turkey expects concrete steps from Sweden for its NATO bid
Source: AA