THE Turkey expects the Sweden and Finland to take concrete action and stop providing, as he said, support to terrorist organizations in order that Ankara to lift its objections to the two countries joining NATOannounced today the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu.
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO last week seeking to boost their security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and hoping that their accession process will be quick.
Other NATO members have described NATO’s planned enlargement as historic.
However, Turkey has raised objections, saying that these countries are supporting persons associated with the PKK and supporters of the imam Fethullah Gulenwhich Ankara accuses it of orchestrating the failed coup in 2016.
All 30 NATO member states must approve a country’s candidacy before it can join the Alliance and begin to benefit from NATO’s collective security guarantee.
«A clear move must be made on Turkey’s concerns. They must stop supporting terrorism“, Said Tsavousoglou during a press conference.
Delegations from the two countries visited Ankara on Wednesday for talks with Turkish officials.
Later, a spokesman for President Erdogan said Ankara noted a positive attitude towards the lifting of the arms embargo.
The Swedish Foreign Minister If Linde he later wrote on Twitter that the dialogue was constructive and will continue.
Sweden and Finland have banned arms exports to Turkey following its invasion of Syria targeting the Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization, as is the PKK.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
