President Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday that Turkiye might halt Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership applications if the Nordic nations break their counterterrorism commitments from last month. He also stated that he thought Sweden was “not showing a good image” at the moment. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden asked to join the defence alliance. Turkiye, however, objected, claiming that the Nordic nations supported organisations it considers terrorists.
At the NATO summit in Madrid last month, the three nations agreed to lift Ankara’s veto in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and military exports. In order to ratify their membership applications, Turkiye has stated that it will strictly monitor the agreement’s implementation. Erdogan told reporters on Monday before a three-way summit with Russia and Iran; “I want to reiterate once again that we will freeze the process if these countries do not take the necessary steps to fulfil our conditions. We particularly note that Sweden does not have a good image on this issue.”
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After an agreement with Turkiye, which had previously prevented the Nordic countries from joining, NATO started the accession processes for Sweden and Finland earlier this month. Erdogan has accused both nations of supporting “terrorism” and serving as safe havens for Kurdish militants, highlighting, in particular, the PKK, an illegal organisation he has worked to suppress.
When asked about Erdogan’s comments in Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price did not immediately answer but instead cited Turkiye’s approval of the Nordic countries’ NATO membership during the NATO summit.
(with inputs from agencies)
