Ankara, May 22: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with leaders of Sweden and Finland, urging the two NATO applicant states to address Ankara’s security concerns.
In a phone call, Erdogan told Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that the Nordic country should end political, financial and weaponry support to “terror organisations”, Xinhua news agency quoted the Turkish presidential office as saying in a statement.
Turkey expects Sweden to take concrete steps to address its concerns about the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party and its extensions in Syria and Iraq, Erdogan noted.
He also urged Sweden to lift the arms exports embargo imposed on Turkey after the latter launched a cross-border military operation in Syria in 2019.
In a separate call with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan said ignoring the terror threats a NATO ally faces is incompatible with the spirit of friendship and alliance.
Turkey expects “respect and support for its legitimate and determined struggle against a clear threat to its national security and people”, Erdogan was quoted as saying.
He also told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg via phone that Turkey would not approach Sweden and Finland membership bids positively unless they stand for Turkey’s fundamental issues, especially in the fight against terrorism.
Stoltenberg, for his part, stated that Turkey’s security concerns should be addressed.
Sweden and Finland on May 18 formally submitted their NATO membership applications to Stoltenberg.
