By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear to both Finland and Sweden that he does not approve of their bid to join NATO as long as their nations support what the Turkish leader said are Kurdish militants actively operating in their nations. In a news conference on Monday, Erdogan said the reason Turkey opposes both countries NATO applications is because he said, “Neither of these countries have a clear, open attitude towards terrorist organizations. How can we trust them?” The Turkish president also said that Sweden is a haven for terrorist organizations and has previously requested the extradition of those Turkey considers dangerous Kurdish militants, that he says Sweden and Finland refuse to extradite.
On Wednesday, Erdogan said, “NATO expansion is only meaningful for us in proportion to the respect that will be shown to our sensitivities.” The Turkish leader further commented, “So, you won’t give us back terrorists but you ask us for NATO membership? NATO is an entity for security, an organization for security. Therefore, we cannot say ‘yes’ to this security organization being deprived of security.” The Turkish president also accused NATO allies of supporting terrorists, pointing out their arms deliveries to the YPG which is a major source of contention between Turkey and the U.S. as well as other Western countries.
Meanwhile, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly said that Turkey’s concerns are valid and that discussions are ongoing with regard to Erdogan’s concerns about the issue. Stoltenberg stressed that Turkey is a key NATO member and that its concerns must be taken into account. While both Finland and Sweden have indicated a willingness to meet with Erdogan in Turkey to discuss his concerns, he openly stated they would be wasting their time sending delegations without resolving what he considers to be this longstanding, thorny issue. On Saturday, Turkey’s presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin commented that Turkey did not want to be an impediment to Finland and Sweden joining NATO but requests negotiations and a crackdown on what the Turkish government views as terrorist activities in those two countries.
