The election campaign has begun in Turkey and President Erdogan is already pulling out all the stops.
Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in NATO is one of the topics he addresses.
For the first time he has now indicated that he would agree to the accession of the Finns despite initial concerns, while maintaining the veto against the Swedes.
That benefits him twice over.
On the one hand, his assertion that he takes a tough and non-negotiable position on the (alleged) terrorist threat posed by Turks in Sweden is well received domestically;
even the opposition cannot counter this.
On the other hand, by making concessions towards Finland, he is trying to counteract the hostile mood that is increasingly being thrown at him from other NATO countries.
Does not speak for the statesman Erdogan
What is not discussed in Turkey is that Erdogan is doing Moscow a service with his attempt to split NATO.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Moscow had a hand in the recent provocations in Stockholm.
In Syria, for example, the PKK and Russia are in close contact, and the Swedish right-wing extremist who burned the Koran maintains relations with Russia.
It does not speak for the strong statesman Erdogan, as he presents himself in Turkey, that he exaggerates such base provocations into a state affair and thereby renders Russia a service.