Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is not an organization whose mission is to protect the security of terrorism, stressing that his country will not repeat the mistakes of the past when it agreed to Greece's accession to the alliance.
?
Erdogan reiterated - in a speech during an event of the Justice and Development Party in Ankara - his country's position rejecting the request of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, noting that while the police of some European countries protect members of terrorist organizations, Turkey will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
"I say it clearly and frankly, and I confirmed this to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a phone call yesterday, Friday, NATO is not an organization that guarantees the security of terrorist organizations," the Turkish president added.
He explained that the followers of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and other groups that Ankara considers terrorists are organizing their demonstrations against the Turkish state under the protection of police forces in countries such as Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
He stressed that Turkey cannot repeat the mistake it made in the past when it agreed to return Greece to NATO, pointing out that Athens embraced members of organizations that Ankara classifies as terrorist.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously confirmed that his country's approval for Sweden and Finland to join NATO depends on the extent to which these two countries take into account Turkey's security concerns.
NATO expansion requires the approval of all 30 member states, and Sweden and Finland say they condemn terrorism and are open to dialogue.