Turkey's president spoke with the leaders of Sweden and Finland on Saturday, urging them to take concrete and serious steps to address Turkey's concerns about terrorist organizations.
On May 20, 2022, Istanbul, Turkiye will host a news conference by the Turkish President. The photo was taken by the Anadolu Agency.
The Turkish presidency said in a statement that Erdogan told Andersson that Sweden should stop supporting terrorist organizations.
Sweden imposed restrictions on Turkey's defense industry after the invasion of Syria.
Sweden looks forward to strengthening its bilateral relations, including on peace, security, and the fight against terrorism, according to a statement by Andersson.
Sauli Niinisto said he spoke with Erdogan on the phone on Saturday and that he condemns terrorism in all forms.
As they commit to each other's security, the relationship will grow stronger, according to Niinisto.
Security reviews following Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to the submission of official applications by Sweden and Finland to join NATO on Wednesday. Turkey considers the Kurdistan Workers Party to be a terrorist organization, and last week, Erdogan announced his opposition to their membership. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces received support from other Western countries, which Turkey considers to be terrorists. Turkey has told its allies that it will not accept the bids from Sweden and Finland, according to Erdogan. All NATO members must approve new countries, and Turkey can single-handedly keep Sweden out of the alliance. The three nations are trying to reach an agreement.
Turkish officials have sought to clarify comments made by the president. Ibrahim Kalin said last week that Turkey isn't trying to block the bids of Sweden and Finland, but wants to make sure that the national security of all NATO members is taken into account. A Turkish official told the Financial Times on Wednesday that Turkey isn't saying they can't be NATO members.
Biden says that the US has complete backing of the NATO bids from Sweden and Finland.
The historic moment is that Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO.
In his most definitive statement yet, Turkey's Erdogan told Allies it would say no to the NATO bids.
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