Finland and Sweden join NATO: Erdogan cannot "say yes"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Russia, in September 2021. AP - Vladimir Smirnov
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally reaffirmed, Monday, May 16, his opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, after the two Nordic countries formalized their candidacy.
Ankara notably criticizes Stockholm and Helsinki for showing leniency towards the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered in Turkey as a terrorist organization.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Anne Andlauer
Recep Tayyip Erdogan plays on words to try to place himself in a position of strength, at this moment which he knows is decisive for the Atlantic Alliance.
The Turkish president does not say “
no
” to the accession of Sweden and Finland, but according to his formula, he “
cannot say yes
”.
►Live: War in Ukraine, Sweden confirms its request to join NATO
In Ankara, we are assured that it is not a question of "bargaining", but of defending the "
Turkey's security.
Two things are demanded: the lifting of the embargo that these two countries - like other European states - have imposed on arms sales to Turkey since its military operation against Kurdish forces in Syria in the fall of 2019, and the extradition of individuals considered "terrorists".
According to the Turkish Ministry of Justice, over the past five years, Stockholm and Helsinki have failed to respond to 33 such requests.
Of course, these demands are not new.
They have been creating tensions for years, especially with Sweden.
But Tayyip Erdogan knows that each new membership must be the subject of a consensus between all NATO allies.
He therefore seized the opportunity to advance his demands.
►Read again: Finland formalizes its application to join the Atlantic Alliance
His response to Sweden, which announced the dispatch of a delegation of diplomats to smooth things over?
“
Let them not get tired
” to come.
Meaning: if they arrive empty-handed...
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