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Turkey reiterated that it is not against NATO enlargement, but said that countries that support terrorism can not be members of the alliance.
“We have made clear what worries us and which includes talks between these two countries, Finland and Sweden, and terrorist organizations, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Kurdish defense units, the YPG, and especially the weapons assistance provided to them by Sweden”, said Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister.
However, NATO and the United States have expressed confidence that Ankara will not suspend the membership of the two Nordic states in the Western military alliance, which they are now seeking, following the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply to join NATO, while Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats announced a formal policy change that would pave the way for their country to apply within days. The country’s defense minister, Peter Hultqvist, warned that Sweden would be in a dangerous situation if it were the only Baltic country to remain outside NATO.
“Turkey demands that these two countries stop supporting Kurdish militant groups present on their territory and lift the blockade on some arms sales to Turkey. “I am confident that we will be able to respond to the concerns expressed by Turkey in such a way that it does not delay membership,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to give details of the closed-door talks in Berlin, but echoed Stoltenberg’s stance, expressing confidence that consensus would be reached.
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