Erdogan still opposes Finland, Sweden membership in NATO

Periskopi

29 May 2022, 16:15(4 years ago)

Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said he is still intent on blocking Finland and Sweden's NATO accession. Erdogan said meetings this week with Finnish and Swedish delegations had not been “at the expected level of”, noting there was no step to ease [...] security concerns.

Erdogan said meetings this week with Finnish and Swedish delegations had not been “on the expected level of”, noting there was no step to ease Turkey's security concerns.

“As long as Tayp Erdogan is at the helm of the Republic of Turkey, we cannot tell the nations supporting terror to join NATO”, Erdogan told reporters on his plane after a visit to Azerbaijan.

Erdogan referred to an interview on Swedish state television with Salih Muslim, a member of the Syrian Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria, on the night of the delegation's meeting. He cited this as evidence of Sweden's support for the Syrian Kurdish militants, whom Turkey views as an extension of an illegal Kurdish group that has led an uprising against Turkey since 1984.

He also accused Germany, France and the Netherlands of committing the same error, supporting terror”.

Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units make up the US-led pillar of forces in the fight against the so-called “Islamic State”.

Ankara has also led cross-border operations in Syria to clear Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units from its border, reports Breakingnews, broadcast Klankosova.tv.

All NATO members must approve the historic offer of the two Nordic countries to join the alliance, prompted by alarm for the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Turkey, which commands the second largest army in the alliance, has said it will not allow their accession if no steps are taken, including lifting restrictions on the sale of weapons in Turkey.