ISTANBUL – Turkey’s foreign minister said on Friday that Sweden and Finland must now take “concrete steps” to alleviate their country’s security concerns overcoming Ankara’s objections to its NATO bid .
Delegations from the two Nordic countries have returned home with documents detailing Turkey’s concerns, such as information on terrorist groups, after a visit this week and Ankara is awaiting its answers, the foreign minister said. Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Sweden and Finland submitted their written requests to join NATO last week. The move represents one of the biggest geopolitical ramifications of Russia’s war in Ukraine and could rewrite Europe’s security map.
Countries’ bids for membership require the support of all NATO countries, but Turkey, which commands the alliance’s second army, opposes it. He cited alleged support for Kurdish militants whom Turkey considered terrorists and restrictions on arms sales to Turkey.
Cavusoglu said “an approach of ‘convincing Turkey in time anyway, we are friends and allies’ would not be right.” He insisted that “these countries must take concrete action.”
He added that “we understand the security concerns of Finland and Sweden, but … everyone must also understand the legitimate security concerns of Turkey.” Turkey called for NATO to include the fight against terrorism in its “strategic concepts,” the minister said.
Turkey’s top diplomat was speaking at a joint press conference with his Polish and Romanian counterparts in Istanbul.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said: “There is no doubt that we need the accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance to make it stronger.” Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu agreed that his membership “would strengthen collective defense and our security”.
Turkey this week listed five “concrete guarantees” it called for in Sweden, including what it called “the end of political support for terrorism”, an “elimination of the source of terrorist financing” and a “cessation of terrorism.” “banned the PKK and a group of Syrian Kurdish militias affiliated to it.”
The demands also called for the lifting of arms sanctions against Turkey and global counter-terrorism cooperation.
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