President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced concerns about Finland and Sweden protecting groups Ankara deems as terrorists. While Turkey approved Finland’s NATO membership in April, a final decision on Sweden’s bid is still pending after a significant delay.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom announced on Wednesday that Turkey has indicated it expects to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession within weeks. The delay in Turkey’s approval has persisted despite Finland, after abandoning its neutral stance, being admitted to NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey, a NATO member, has voiced concerns about Sweden and Finland offering protection to groups Ankara considers terrorists.
Turkey approved Finland’s NATO membership in April this year after a significant delay but is yet to make a final decision on Sweden. Billstrom revealed that during a bilateral meeting with Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, the expectation for ratification within weeks was communicated.
The delay is attributed to Turkey’s demand for Sweden to address the functioning of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on its soil, which Turkey, the EU, and the US believe is a terrorist group.
Despite Sweden introducing anti-terrorism legislation and lifting arms export restrictions on Turkey, NATO’s anticipation for Sweden’s ratification has not materialized. Turkish President Erdogan previously linked Sweden’s NATO membership to Turkey’s EU accession, a process that is currently stalled.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell noted open issues in EU-Turkey relations that need addressing before any accession can occur. Hungary, too, has not ratified Sweden’s NATO membership, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban emphasizing that Hungary won’t be the last to do so, highlighting the significance of Turkey’s decision in the process.
Source: Reuters
