Turkey not backing down from threats to block Sweden, Finland from NATO
Following a call with NATO's chief, Erdogan is showing no signs of backing off in the standoff over Sweden and Finland’s bids to join the alliance.
Turkey shows no signs of backing down in the continuing standoff over Sweden's and Finland’s bids to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted in a telephone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that the Nordic countries had to take “concrete steps” toward membership in the Western security alliance.
Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a statement that these included providing written assurances that they would combat “terrorism” and cooperate with Turkey in its defense industry. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said separately that Turkey’s expectations had not been met by various documents provided by Sweden, presumably in response to Ankara’s demands.
The Financial Times reported that Turkey had rejected an invitation by NATO to take part in trilateral talks with Sweden and Finland that were meant to be held today.
