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Istanbul (AP) — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Swedish Prime Minister that there was no "concrete" move to address concerns about Turkey's accession to NATO, Erdogan said. Said on Saturday.
In a phone call with Prime Minister Erdogan, he called for a "binding commitment" from Sweden and a "change in concrete attitude" in the country's approach to the war on terrorism. ..
He has never seen "a concrete initiative from Sweden to alleviate Turkey's concerns at this time" regarding the request of NATO member states to become NATO members. Added.
Sweden and Finland applied for a Western military alliance in May after Russia invaded Ukraine. Turkey, a NATO member, has so far blocked applications because it considers Ankara to be a soft approach to organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The PKK rebelled against Turkey for 38 years, killing tens of thousands.
Turkey requires Sweden and Finland to give transfer requests to individuals wanted in Turkey. Ankara claims that each country is accommodating PKK members, as well as those who say it is related to the failure of the 2016 coup.
Turkey also wants assurance that the weapons restrictions imposed by both countries regarding Turkey's 2019 military invasion of northern Syria will be lifted.
At the NATO Summit in Madrid, June 28-30, it is expected that Finland and Sweden's request for accession and Turkey's opposition will be central themes.
Prime Minister Erdogan had previously repeated Turkey's request over a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the president said.
