By Dave DeCamp
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood firm on Thursday in his opposition to Finland and Sweden’s bids for NATO membership, saying Ankara will not drop its objections.
“We have told our relevant friends we would say ‘no’ to Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, and we will continue on our path like this,” Erdogan said.
Turkey is opposed to the Nordic countries joining NATO over their alleged support for the PKK, a Kurdish militant group Turkey and the US consider a terrorist organization. “NATO is a security alliance and we cannot accept terrorists to be in it,” Erdogan said.
Ankara also wants Finland and Sweden to lift arms export restrictions they imposed on Turkey in 2019 after Erdogan launched an offensive in northeast Syria in 2019. “We cannot say ‘yes’ to those who impose sanctions on Turkey, on joining NATO,” Erdogan said earlier in the week.
On Wednesday, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join the military alliance, but Turkey blocked the alliance from holding early talks on their memberships. In order for the countries to join, all 30 NATO members need to consent.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto visited Washington on Thursday and said Helsinki was working to convince Ankara to lift its objection. “We are open to discussing all the concerns Turkey may have concerning our membership in an open and constructive manner. These discussions have already taken place, and they will continue in the next days,” he said.
The US and most other NATO members have welcomed the Nordic countries’ applications and appear to be confident that they will be able to join despite Turkey’s seemingly firm stance. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that he expects the dispute with Turkey to be resolved.
Jonas E. Alexis has degrees in mathematics and philosophy. He studied education at the graduate level. His main interests include U.S. foreign policy, the history of the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the history of ideas. He is the author of the book, Kevin MacDonald’s Metaphysical Failure: A Philosophical, Historical, and Moral Critique of Evolutionary Psychology, Sociobiology, and Identity Politics. He teaches mathematics in South Korea.
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Finland & Sweden are incredibly irresponsible and stupid for wanting to join NATO. They’re only going to heighten tensions with Russia and create unneeded problems with their energy reliance and their populations. What are their citizens saying about this?
Recep ErDOGan is called BABA , Gladio B Agent operative – He does all for Money !
Tureckie(Arabskie) kroniki bezwzględu na Nato.. Polęchja..Przeszłości niezapomni i dotrzym słowa… Ręki nie podał Judzie gest który przykładem czym przyJaźn*Szacunek * przeszlości prawdziwej niezatartej po prostu….przez “upływ czasu”
Teraz…..nic nie pracuje lepiej dla Przyszlosci
….Tur*R)cja i teraz aniżeli Wiedza prawdziwa istchnienia Przeszłości….
Nie mniej wdzieczny Iranu ” Bliski mojsza Serc Wschód “
Either Erdogan will get a lot or money from the U.S. or … Russia will owe him, big time, for the favor. Erdogan is really good at playing both sides against each other.
Vlad won’t drop the Tiger Forces if he test that monte hall lets make a deal “!”
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