“We will not say ‘yes’ to NATO entry by those who impose sanctions on Turkey,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan, referring to Sweden and Finland, reaffirming Ankara’s opposition to admitting the two Nordic countries. “Both countries do not have a clear and unequivocal position towards terrorist organizations,” he added, stressing that delegations from Helsinki and Stockholm “must not tire of coming to Turkey on Monday to convince us.”
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Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania welcomed Sweden and Finland’s “historic decision” to join NATO and assured them that they intend to do “whatever is necessary” to support them.
“We are confident that Sweden and Finland will contribute to the unity, solidarity, cohesion and strength of the Alliance and the entire transatlantic space at a time when the security framework is becoming increasingly complex,” Cnn’s statement said. The three foreign ministers emphasize that the accession of Helsinki and Stockholm to NATO “will significantly increase the security of the Baltic Sea region” and “open new perspectives for the Nordic-Baltic region and other formats of regional cooperation in the field of defense security”. Finally, the three countries pledge to swiftly ratify the accession of the two new members of the Atlantic Alliance.