Turkish President Recep Erdogan has said he cannot positively assess Swedenʼs and Finlandʼs plans to join NATO, the Daily Sabah reports.
Erdogan called the Scandinavian countries a "guest house of terrorist organizations", adding that Turkey could veto the two countriesʼ accession to the Alliance.
Erdogan also called the 1952 decision to admit Greece a mistake.
"We, as Turkey, do not want to make a second mistake on this issue. In addition, the Nordic countries are a haven for terrorist organizations, and in some countries, they are even members of parliament. We canʼt be in favor," he said.
Turkey has officially supported NATO enlargement since joining the bloc 70 years ago. Any decision on enlargement must be taken unanimously by the Allies.
- On May 12, Finland officially announced its plans to join NATO. To do this, the countryʼs parliament must vote in favor of applying for membership. The Swedish Parliament is also currently considering joining the alliance. They will join the bloc under a simplified procedure, as their armies meet NATO standards.