Sweden should cease taking up NATO's time since Turkey’s demands regarding the country’s membership in the alliance are clear, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said as Ankara insists Stockholm takes measures against terrorism.
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Altun said: “We do not believe that it is right for Sweden and Finland to keep NATO busy during this critical time. NATO membership is a privilege, not a right. Those countries, which wish to join us, will join us if they meet the relevant criteria. No negotiation or bargaining is possible, especially regarding an issue like terrorism.”
Reiterating that Turkey expects concrete steps, Altun said that Turkey finds it “odd that Sweden is reluctant to take steps in this regard and observe that its reluctance disappoints the Turkish people.”
“When it comes to the safety of the lives and property of Turkish citizens, we expect action, not words. Sweden needs to make concrete and permanent changes to its policy vis-à-vis terrorism. The extradition of known terrorists to Turkey and the prevention of the activities of terrorist entities on Swedish soil are sine qua non,” he added.
Ankara continues to protest Stockholm and Helsinki's membership bids to join the trans-Atlantic alliance, maintaining both countries have supported and provided a safe haven to terrorists, including members of the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, among others.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24. But Turkey, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the YPG/PKK and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group responsible for the failed 2016 coup in Turkey.
All membership applications must be met by unanimity in the 30-member alliance to be successful.
While the two Nordic countries have said talks would continue to resolve the dispute, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Ankara had not received any responses to its demands, including stopping support for terrorists, lifting arms embargoes on Ankara and extraditing suspects it seeks.
On the other hand, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said that the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June is not a deadline for a decision on Sweden and Finland's membership bids.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA) during a visit to the Spanish capital, Kalın repeated that progress on the membership bids hinged on how Sweden and Finland respond to Turkish demands.
"We don't see ourselves in a time constraint like the NATO summit," Kalin was cited as saying, adding that while the summit was important in addressing common issues like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cooperation within the alliance, potential allies have to take steps to alleviate concerns of current members.
"We don't feel like we are under any time pressure like 'let us get this done by the NATO summit.' What is important here is that Sweden and Finland openly, clearly and concretely put forth what kind of steps they will take regarding counterterrorism," he added.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to Washington this week that he would convene senior officials from Finland, Sweden and Turkey in Brussels in coming days to discuss the issue. NATO leaders will convene on June 29-30 in Madrid.
Stoltenberg tweeted late Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed “the need to address Turkey’s concerns and move forward” with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.
Stoltenberg said he had a “constructive phone call” with Erdoğan, calling Turkey a “valued ally” and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages caused by Russia’s invasion. Stoltenberg tweeted that he and Erdoğan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.
