Sweden hasn't alleviated NATO concerns, says Turkish president Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden's prime minister that he has not seen any tangible moves to address Turkey's concerns about her country joining NATO, Erdogan's office said

Erdogan
Photo: Bloomberg
AP Istanbul
2 min read Last Updated : Jun 26 2022 | 6:34 AM IST

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden's prime minister that he has not seen any tangible moves to address Turkey's concerns about her country joining NATO, Erdogan's office said on Saturday.

Erdogan called in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson for binding commitments from Sweden, as well as a concrete change of attitude in the country's approach to fighting terrorism.

He added that Turkey had not seen any tangible initiative from Sweden that would alleviate Turkey's concerns at this point about the Nordic nation's request to become a NATO member, the president's communications directorate said in a statement.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western military alliance in May following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey, which is a NATO member, has so far blocked the applications, citing what Ankara considers to be a soft approach to organisations such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead.

Turkey is demanding that Sweden and Finland grant extradition requests for individuals who are wanted in Turkey.

Ankara claims the countries are harbouring PKK members as well people it says are linked to a failed 2016 coup.

Turkey also wants assurances that arms restrictions imposed by the two countries over Turkey's 2019 military incursion into northern Syria will be removed.

Finland and Sweden's membership requests and Turkey's objections are expected to be a central theme at a June 28-30 NATO summit in Madrid.

Erdogan earlier reiterated Turkey's demands in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the presidency said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :NATOSwedenRecep Tayyip ErdoganTurkey

First Published: Jun 26 2022 | 6:34 AM IST

Next Story