Erdogan says won't let 'terrorism-supporting' countries enter NATO

Turkish president says talks with Finnish and Swedish delegations are not at the 'expected level'

ISTANBUL:

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's talks last week with Finnish and Swedish delegations were not at the "expected level" and Ankara cannot say yes to "terrorism-supporting" countries entering NATO, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Sunday.

Turkey has objected to Sweden and Finland joining the NATO alliance, holding up a deal that would allow for a historic enlargement in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Erdogan's latest comments indicated his opposition continued.

"For as long as Tayyip Erdogan is the head of the Republic of Turkey, we definitely cannot say 'yes' to countries which support terrorism entering NATO," he was cited as telling reporters on his return from a trip to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Two sources previously told Reuters that Wednesday's talks made little headway and it was unclear when further discussions would take place. All 30 NATO members must approve plans to enlarge the Western alliance.

Also read: Turkey's Erdogan discusses concerns with NATO hopefuls Sweden and Finland

Turkey challenged the bids from Sweden and Finland on the grounds that they harbour people linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and others it deems terrorists, and because they halted arms exports to Ankara in 2019.

"They are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past regarding countries that embrace and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organisation," he said.

Sweden and Finland have said they condemn terrorism and welcomed the possibility of coordinating with Ankara.

Erdogan also said Turkey wanted to see an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, but that the situation was becoming more negative each day.

"On Monday, I will have phone calls with both Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to encourage the parties to operate channels of dialogue and diplomacy," he said.