Turkey Will Not Approve NATO Request Sweden and Finland Unless One Condition is Met
Turkey blocks the start of accession talks with Finland and Sweden within NATO. This has been heard from NATO circles. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both countries "support terrorist organizations and NATO accession are not possible" unless one crucial condition is met.
That condition is that Sweden and Finland must return the "terrorists" they harbour to Turkey. "If they don't, the Swedish and Finnish delegations shouldn't bother coming to Ankara to convince us," Erdogan said.
According to Ankara, Sweden (and Finland) harbours people associated with groups Turkey considers terrorists. These include members of the militant wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and supporters of Fethullah Gülen. This influential Islamist thinker accuses Ankara of orches...