Exclusive-Turkey 'not closing door' to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says & More News Here

This content material was printed on May 14, 2022 – 14:05
May 14, 2022 – 14:05

By Orhan Coskun, Jonathan Spicer and Can Sezer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey has not shut the door to Sweden and Finland becoming a member of NATO however needs negotiations with the Nordic international locations and a clampdown on what it sees as terrorist actions particularly in Stockholm, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman mentioned on Saturday.

“We are not closing the door. But we are basically raising this issue as a matter of national security for Turkey,” Ibrahim Kalin, who can be the president’s high overseas coverage advisor, instructed Reuters in an interview in Istanbul.

Erdogan stunned NATO members and the 2 Nordic international locations looking for membership by saying on Friday it was not potential for Turkey to help enlarging the alliance as a result of Finland and Sweden have been “home to many terrorist organisations”.

Any nation looking for to be part of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance wants the unanimous help of the members of the army alliance. The United States and different member states have been making an attempt to make clear Ankara’s place.

Sweden and its closest army companion, Finland, have till now remained outdoors NATO, which was based in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union within the Cold War. The two international locations are cautious of antagonising their giant neighbour however their safety issues have elevated since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Stockholm is broadly anticipated to observe Helsinki’s lead and will apply for entry to the 30-nation army alliance as early as Monday.

Kalin mentioned the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – was fund-raising and recruiting in Europe and its presence is “strong and open and acknowledged” in Sweden specifically.

“What needs to be done is clear: they have to stop allowing PKK outlets, activities, organisations, individuals and other types of presence to…exist in those countries,” Kalin mentioned.

“NATO membership is always a process. We will see how things go. But this is the first point that we want to bring to the attention of all the allies as well as to Swedish authorities,” he added. “Of course we want to have a discussion, a negotiation with Swedish counterparts.”

‘MUTUAL POINT OF VIEW’

Turkey, the second-largest army in NATO, has formally supported enlargement because it joined the U.S.-led alliance 70 years in the past.

For years it has criticised Sweden and different European international locations for his or her dealing with of organisations deemed terrorists by Turkey, together with the followers of U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty says an assault on any NATO nation ought to be seen as an assault on all. While Sweden and Finland have lengthy had shut relations with NATO, they don’t seem to be coated by its safety assure.

Turkey has criticised Russia’s invasion, helped arm Ukraine – which isn’t in NATO – and tried to facilitate talks between the edges however opposes sanctions on Moscow. It needs NATO “to address the concerns of all members, not just some,” Kalin mentioned.

Asked whether or not Turkey risked being too transactional at a time of struggle, and when Finnish and Swedish public opinion favours NATO membership, he mentioned: “One hundred percent of our population is very upset with the PKK and FETO (Gulenist) presence in Europe.”

“If they (Finland and Sweden) have a public concerned about their own national security, we have a public that is equally concerned about our own security,” he mentioned. “We have to see this from a mutual point of view.”

Kalin mentioned Russia’s sharp criticism of Finland and Sweden over their plans was not a consider Turkey’s place.

(Writing by Jonathan Spicer, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

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