Despite diplomatic efforts to persuade Turkey to back down, Ankara has restated its opposition to Finland and Sweden obtaining NATO membership, citing security concerns.

Turkey Refuses to Lift Veto on Finland’s, Sweden’s, NATO Bids

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) is greeted by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a NATO summit in Brussels, June 14 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / POOL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday warned that Turkey will continue to block NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, citing security concerns.

“We told related friends that we will say no to Finnish and Swedish entry to NATO. We will continue in our path,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan added that NATO is a security alliance, and Ankara cannot accept countries which support “terrorist” groups referring to Nordic countries’ support for Kurdish groups.

“Finland and Sweden are harbouring terrorist centres,” Erdogan said, meaning especially their support for Kurdish forces in Syria, which Turkey considers a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted both Scandinavian countries to end their decades-long policies of neutrality.

Both neighbours have announced their wish to join Atlantic military alliance and officially applied to join NATO on Wednesday.

Most NATO countries welcome their decision as a significant boost to the alliance. But Turkey has continued to object, despite diplomatic efforts.

“Today we had Finland and Sweden submit their applications and this, of course, is a process and we will work through that process as allies and partners,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a meeting in New York with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

However, Cavusoglu insisted that Turkey’s security concerns must be met before Sweden and Finland can obtain NATO entry.

“Turkey has supported the ‘open-door’ policy of NATO even before this war [in Ukraine]. But with regard to these candidate countries, we have legitimate security concerns that they have been supporting terrorist organisations,” Cavusoglu said.

Reuters reported on Wednesday, based on its NATO sources, that a diplomatic crisis occurred at the NATO meeting in Berlin on Saturday during a discussion on Turkey’s veto of the Finnish and Swedish NATO bids.

Cavusoglu not only set conditions for Turkey accepting their membership bids but raised his voice at Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, in what NATO diplomats told Reuters was an “embarrassing” breach of protocol.

According to experts, Erdogan is seeking to bargain over sales of US fighter planes to Turkey and over sanctions imposed on Ankara because of its rapprochement with Russia and purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems.

Ankara also wants to force northern European countries to drop their support for Kurdish groups, which Erdogan can then present as a victory in domestic politics.

Countries can join NATO only if all its members unanimously agree, which effectively gives Turkey veto powers over any possible enlargement.

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