Turkey: Sweden and Finland join NATO depends on answers

THE Turkey raises the tone on the issue of integration Sweden and Φινλανδίας in the NATOnoting that the two Scandinavian countries must respond to it, so that Ankara does not veto the applications they have submitted.

According to Reuters, the Ibrahim KalinErdogan’s spokesman and chief foreign policy adviser, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais that the way Finland and Sweden would meet Turkey’s demands would determine whether progress could be made before the NATO summit in Madrid on June 29-30.

“It depends on what Sweden and Finland do,” he said. “Once we see progress in our demands, then the process will move forward. NATO is not a tourism, nor an economic alliance; it is a security alliance, which means that it must provide security to all its members equally and fairly.“, Noted the Turkish official.

It is recalled that Stockholm and Helsinki last month applied for membership in the Alliance in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but were met with objections from Ankara, which accuses the two Scandinavian countries of supporting and hosting Kurdish fighters and other groups that Turkey calls terrorists.

While Sweden and Finland have said talks with Turkey will continue to resolve differences, Erdogan said today that Ankara had not received any proposals for its demands, which include suspending support for groups that Turkey considers terrorists. the extradition of suspects wanted by Turkey and the lifting of the arms embargo on Ankara imposed by Stockholm and Helsinki.

It is also noted that NATO membership requires unanimous agreement from its 30 member states. Turkey, which has been a NATO ally for more than 70 years, has said it will not change its position unless the Nordic countries take “concrete steps” on its concerns.