We have not received an official proposal from Finland to separate its NATO membership process from that of Sweden, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Thursday.
Finland this week said for the first time that it had to consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appeared to grind to a halt as Ankara blasted Stockholm over anti-Türkiye and anti-Islam protests.
"We have to assess the situation, whether something has happened that in the longer term would prevent Sweden from going ahead," Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told broadcaster Yle.
He added however that it was "too early to take a position on that now" and that a joint application remained the "first option."
Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told media on Tuesday that he was "in contact with Finland to find out what this really means."
Helsinki had refused to speculate until now on the option of joining without Sweden, emphasizing the benefits of joint membership with its close neighbor.
"The Swedish government has taken part in this crime by allowing this vile act," said Çavuşoğlu, referring to Swedish authorities permitting a far-right politician burn the Quran under police protection.
Çavuşoğlu continued to say that there are segments in Sweden that do not want Stockholm to join NATO and which therefore "plant mines" in the process. "Sweden must choose either to demine its route to joining NATO or step on those mines and blow up its chances," he added.
He elaborated that the tripartite meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bid was postponed due to the unhealthy political environment.
Finland – which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia – and Sweden applied to join NATO last year after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, ending decadeslong policies of military nonalignment.
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 supporters 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.
