Turkey’s defense minister says that Sweden and Finland do not meet the requirements to join NATO
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – January 17, 2023) Turkey have observed it Sweden and Finland did not meet the requirements to win NATO membership by allowing export restrictions to apply and supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), labeled as terrorist past AnkaraDefense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.
“We are observing it Sweden and Finland does not fulfill the obligations according to the (safety) memorandum. We expect concrete measures to end support for terrorist organizations and lift export restrictions,” the minister was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
Akar also said that Ankara condemned a gathering of PKK supporters in Stockholmwhere the protesters hung a puppet of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at its feet.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Swedish ambassador Ankara in protest of the PKK rally. In addition, the Turkish General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal cases in question.
IN May 2022, three months since the beginning of Ukraine crisis, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality and referring to a change in the security situation i Europe. The processing of tenders was initially blocked by Turkey due Helsinki and Stockholms long-term support for the PKK, which Ankara considered a threat to its national security.
IN June, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a security memorandum that unblocked the start of negotiations on the accession of the two Scandinavian countries to alliance. The parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, including measures against the PKK, and lift restrictions on weapons export to Turkey. Only Turkey and Hungary has not yet approved the membership of the two new candidates out of the 30 members of the alliance.