It is important that Finland and Sweden enter the NATO alliance together, Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola said Monday, after Türkiye hinted at viewing Helsinki’s membership more positively than that of Stockholm.
Savola spoke at a conference in Oslo, while NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, at the same event, said that it is "time" that Sweden and Finland were accepted into the NATO military alliance.
The statements came as Türkiye temporarily halted trilateral talks with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids because of anti-Türkiye and anti-Islam protests in Stockholm, which included the burning of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy.
Sweden and neighboring Finland abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All NATO members except Türkiye and Hungary have ratified their accession, but unanimity is required.
Ankara has previously said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against terrorists. Türkiye has frequently voiced that it does not oppose NATO enlargement but rather criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that are posing a security threat to Ankara.
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance. But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary to gain NATO membership.
Ankara has long criticized Stockholm for housing members of various terrorist organizations, particularly members of the PKK and, in recent years, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) – the organization behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye.
Ahead of a historic NATO summit, the three countries signed a trilateral deal in June that prevented a Turkish veto. In the memorandum, the Nordic countries said they would address Türkiye’s extradition requests for terrorists. In addition, the joint directive states that Finland and Sweden "will not provide support to ... the organization described as FETÖ" and terrorist groups.