Turkey has blocked talks on Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources.
NATO ambassadors met on Wednesday to begin talks, but Turkey has suspended all voting. "We are not saying that they cannot be members of NATO. We just have to be on the same page, on the same side of the threat we face," the newspaper quoted a Turkish official as saying.
According to the newspaper, Turkey has demanded that Sweden extradite 30 people whom Ankara accuses of terrorism. Turkey claims that Finland and Sweden support the Kurdistan Workersʼ Party and Kurdish activists who are recognized as terrorists in Turkey.
- On Wednesday, 18 May, Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO at the Allianceʼs headquarters in Brussels.
- On 15 May, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced that his country would formally apply to join NATO. This decision was supported by the government, and members of parliament also voted for it.
- On 16 May, the Swedish government, following Finland , also formally decided to apply for NATO membership.
- However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will not support Swedenʼs and Finlandʼs accession to NATO. He accused these countries of "supporting terrorism".