Türkiye will not allow into NATO another state that weakens its security: Parliament speaker

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye will not accept another state into NATO which could weaken Ankara's security, the Turkish parliament speaker said on Thursday.

“As Türkiye, why should we accept the entry of another state which will weaken our security, into an organization meant to strengthen our security?” Mustafa Sentop said at Anadolu Agency’s Editors' Desk at the agency’s headquarters in the capital Ankara.

Türkiye, he added, stressed repeatedly that Sweden should take concrete steps regarding the PKK terror group and its offshoots, which hold provocative demonstrations in Stockholm despite being designated as a terror group in the EU.

But, unfortunately, it seems Sweden will not do so, the Turkish official added.

Touching on the burning of Muslim holy book Quran in Sweden, Sentop said: “We want all holy books to be respected in the same way. There was an attempt to burn the Torah, and we say it is wrong. We reject any disrespect to all holy books.”

He added: “As an academic and scientist, I can say that burning a book is in itself wrong, primitive, bigoted attitude. You can voice criticism, but burning a book is a primitive approach that reminds of the inquisition period and the era of Hitler.”

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, 2022.

But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye.

In June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.

In the memorandum, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to the PKK, its offshoots, and FETO, prevent all activities of the terror groups, extradite terror suspects, introduce new legislation to punish terrorist crimes, and end all arms embargoes among the three countries.

But Turkish officials say the countries, particularly Sweden, have yet to take necessary steps against terrorism.

Talks on the Nordic membership bids stalled after recent provocative demonstrations and Quran burnings in Stockholm.

Ankara has also hinted at considering Finland’s NATO membership application separately from that of Sweden.

Referring to his decision to cancel Swedish parliament speaker Andreas Norlen’s visit to Türkiye, Sentop said: “When we see further developments, I understand better how wise this decision was. Because the issue is not just an isolated incident, it reveals a mentality and an understanding.”

- Turkish president for Nobel Peace Prize

Touching on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize by many countries, Sentop said the most important event of the past year was Russia-Ukraine war, which is still ongoing, and it was Erdogan who took steps to end the conflict, or at least to achieve a humanitarian cease-fire.

Pakistan, Indonesia, Hungary, Japan, Bangladesh, Algeria, Oman, Mali, Gabon and Niger have nominated the Turkish president for the prize.