In a telephone conversation with Jens Stoltenberg, Erdogan told the NATO secretary general that Finland and Sweden needed to take honest and meaningful steps regarding the shelter they offer to members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the PKK. Kurdish militia in Syria, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that no substantial steps had been taken to allay Ankara’s concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
In a telephone conversation with Jens Stoltenberg, Erdogan told the NATO secretary general that Finland and Sweden needed to take honest and meaningful steps regarding the shelter they offer to members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the PKK. Kurdish militia in Syria, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
The Turkish president stressed that sanctions against his country’s defense industry should be lifted and not returned after the two Nordic countries joined the North Atlantic Alliance.
Erdogan also had a telephone conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson, in which he said that Stockholm had not changed its stance on the PKK and YPG and that its country had not yet taken substantial steps to allay Turkey’s concerns.
He also reiterated Ankara’s expectations for the lifting of all sanctions imposed on the Turkish defense industry.
Turkey has blocked the accession process of Finland and Sweden to NATO, accusing the two Nordic countries of offering refuge to YPG and PKK members and imposing sanctions on their future ally.
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