by Nevzat Devranoglu and Ezgi Erkoyun
On February 1, 2023, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addressed MPs from his AK Party during a meeting at the parliament in Ankara. via REUTERS, Presidential Press Office handout
Reuters, ANKARA, February 1 – According to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey supports Finland’s application for NATO membership but opposes Sweden’s.
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In an address to his AK Party lawmakers, Erdogan stated of their NATO applications: “Our view on Finland is positive, but it is not positive on Sweden.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland filed to join the transatlantic defence pact last year. However, Turkey unexpectedly objected, and they have since worked to earn Turkey’s backing.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and the European Union, as well as another group it holds responsible for a failed coup attempt in 2016, are the targets of Ankara’s request that Helsinki and Stockholm specifically adopt a tougher stance against them.
The three countries came to an agreement on how to proceed in Madrid in June, but Ankara halted negotiations last month as tensions increased following demonstrations in Stockholm when a far-right Danish politician set fire to a copy of the Koran.
by Nevzat Devranoglu and Ezgi Erkoyun
