Swedish, Finnish responses do not meet expectations: Turkish FM on Nordic NATO bids

By Ali Murat Alhas, Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) – The documents Sweden and Finland sent to Türkiye regarding their NATO bids do not meet our expectations and our concerns need to be addressed, the Turkish foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks came at a joint news conference with his Norwegian and Irish counterparts following meetings in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Besides the Nordic bids to enter the 30-nation alliance, the ministers also exchanged views on bilateral ties, the war in Ukraine and humanitarian situation in northern Syria.

The top Turkish diplomat said Finland and Sweden responses did not address Turkish concerns, and Ankara has briefed both Stockholm and Helsinki, and NATO about the shortcomings.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Their accession requires the unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member countries.

In late May, Türkiye hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations on their NATO applications in the capital Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the talks had not been "at the desired level."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

The Turkish government accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.