Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to oppose Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Turkey “will not say yes” to the two countries that have joined NATO, Erdogan confirmed tonight. No country has a “clear stance on terrorist organisations”, said the Turkish president, who even described Sweden as a “hotbed of terrorist organisations”.
Turkey has long accused the Nordic countries of harboring extremist Kurdish groups like the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and supporters of US preacher Fethullah Gülen – particularly Sweden, where many Turkish immigrants live. Erdogan blames the Gülen movement for the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.
Erdogan also referred to the “sanctions” imposed on Turkey tonight. Sweden has not delivered any weapons to Turkey since 2019 because of Ankara’s military operation in neighboring Syria.