*Paromita Das
As Finland and Sweden announced their intentions to join NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he would not support their membership in the European military alliance.
“We will not say ‘yes’ to countries that impose sanctions on Turkey in order for it to join the security organisation NATO,” Turkey’s president declared.
Erdogan called Sweden a “hatchery” for terrorist organizations. Previously, Turkey’s president accused Sweden and Finland of harboring terrorists while referring to Kurdish separatists.
According to Erodgan, the Nordic countries are “like a guesthouse for terror organisations,” with the Turkish government sending several extradition requests to Norwegian countries to extradite “terrorists.”
Turkey’s government had reacted angrily to Sweden and Finland’s alleged tolerance of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union.
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said his country would send diplomats to Ankara to reach out to President Erdogan.
Erdogan’s latest move comes as Sweden declared on Monday that it is ready to apply for NATO membership, a day after Finland expressed its willingness to join the European military alliance, reversing decades of neutrality in the midst of the Ukraine conflict.
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