Turkey renews veto threat on Sweden, Finland NATO bids
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week.
The top Turkish diplomat has reiterated Ankara’s threat to block Sweden and Finland’s accession into NATO. Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks came as political observers set their sights on a potential meeting between the Turkish and American leaders next week.
“There is no concrete step taken by these two countries yet,” Cavusoglu told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency in reference to promises that Stockholm and Helsinki made in return for Ankara’s support for their admission. “They know their [NATO memberships] will not be ratified by the parliament unless they take necessary steps.”
Turkey wants both Nordic countries to restrict actions of groups that it deems a threat to its national security and to extradite dozens of people over their alleged links to these groups.
Cavusoglu’s comments came ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s planned trip to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly that will kick off on Sept. 20. A senior official told Reuters last week that a potential meeting between the two leaders was under discussion.
