Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden and Finland Thursday that he could prevent NATO from joining even if he failed to implement the new accession agreement with Ankara. ..
Prime Minister Erdogan issued a frank warning at the end of the NATO summit, where the US-led alliance officially invited the Nordic countries to join the block of 30 countries.
Both countries have announced plans to abandon the history of military inconsistency and join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Their bids were directed to prompt approval until Prime Minister Erdogan expressed concern in May.
He accused the two of providing shelter for outlawed Kurdish militants and promoting "terrorism."
Prime Minister Erdogan also demanded that the arms embargo imposed in response to Turkey's 2019 military invasion of Syria be lifted.
A 10-point memorandum signed by three bystanders at the NATO summit on Tuesday appeared to address many of Erdogan's concerns.
Prime Minister Erdogan expressed his dissenting opinion and held a warm meeting with US President Joe Biden, after which he was promised to sell a new military aircraft to Turkey.
Still, at the improvised press conference held at the end of the summit, Prime Minister Erdogan told reporters, and the memorandum does not mean that Turkey will automatically approve the accession of both countries. Said.
New country applications must be approved by all members and ratified by their respective parliaments.
Prime Minister Erdogan warned that future actions in Sweden and Finland will determine whether the application will be forwarded to the Turkish parliament.
"If they fulfill their obligations, we will send it to Congress. If they are not fulfilled, it is out of the question," he said.
Washington's senior Turkish diplomat said the ratification process could take place at the earliest in late September, wait until 2023, and parliament could be adjourned from Friday. Said.
Western diplomatic sources in the NATO summit corridor have accused Erdogan of being involved in the "blackmail."
'73 Terrorists'
The day after Turkey said it would seek the delivery of 12 suspects from Finland and 21 suspects from Sweden, Prime Minister Erdogan Delivered his message.
33 people were accused of outlawing Kurdish militants or being members of a group led by Turkey, a U.S.-based preacher who accused the failure of the 2016 coup. ..
However, Prime Minister Erdogan appeared to have raised Ante on Thursday, pointing out that Sweden had "promised" to hand over "73 terrorists" to Turkey.
He did not explain when Sweden made this promise or provide any other details.
Stockholm officials do not understand Erdogan's mention, but said Sweden adheres to the rule of law.
"In Sweden, Swedish law is applied by an independent court," Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said in a statement to AFP.
"Swedish citizens will not be handed over. Non-Swedish citizens may be handed over at the request of another country, but only if they comply with Swedish law and European treaties." Said Johansson.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said Wednesday that Prime Minister Erdogan appears to be referring to a case that has already been dealt with by authorities and courts.
"I think all of these cases have been resolved in Finland. Decisions have been made and some of those decisions have been made by the courts," Niinistö told reporters in Madrid. rice field.
"I have no reason to pick them up again."
Most of Turkey's demands and past negotiations involved Sweden for a stronger relationship with the Kurdish diaspora. I'm out.
Sweden does not have official ethnic statistics, but it is estimated that 100,000 Kurds live in a country of 10 million people.
The Brookings Institution warned that the "loose, often offensive framework" of the Turkish term "terrorist" could cause problems in the coming months.
"Complexity stems from the definition of terrorism in Turkish law that goes beyond criminalizing participation in violent acts and violating fundamental freedom of speech," said a U.S.-based laboratory. Said in the report.
