Erdogan said he would not allow “terrorist” countries to join NATO

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a ceremony at the Golcuk Naval Shipyard in Izmit, Turkey, May 23, 2022. President’s Press Office / Distribution via REUTERS

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ISTANBUL, May 29 (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s talks last week with Finnish and Swedish delegations were not at the “expected level” and Ankara could not say yes to “terrorism-supporting” countries. in NATO, state television TRT Haber reported Sunday.

Turkey has objected to the accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance, supporting an agreement that would allow for a historic expansion in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Erdogan’s latest comments show that his opposition continues.

“While Tayyip Erdogan is the head of the Republic of Turkey, we definitely cannot say ‘yes’ to countries that support the entry of terrorism into NATO,” he told reporters on his return from a trip to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

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Earlier, two sources told Reuters that Wednesday’s talks had made little progress and it was unclear when further discussions would take place. All 30 NATO members must approve plans to expand the Western alliance.

Turkey has challenged offers from Sweden and Finland on the grounds that they are hiding people linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and others it considers terrorists, and because they stopped arms exports to Ankara in 2019. read more

“They are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past with countries that receive and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organization,” he said.

Sweden and Finland have said they condemn terrorism and welcomed the possibility of coordination with Ankara.

Erdogan also said Turkey wants to see an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, but that the situation is getting worse every day.

“On Monday, I will have telephone conversations with both Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to encourage countries to use channels for dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.

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Report by Darren Butler Edited by Mark Potter

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