Turkey says awaiting Sweden’s, Finland’s responses to its conditions on NATO accession

Addis Ababa, May 31, 2022 (FBC) – Turkey is awaiting responses from Finland and Sweden to the written conditions set out by Ankara for it to endorse the two countries’ accession to NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

“During talks with Finish and Swedish delegations in Turkey, we have provided our written conditions. We are expecting a response. Our conditions are not unfeasible,” Cavusoglu told Turkish news agency Anadolu.

The minister added that Turkey will stands by its position regardless of the Nordic states’ efforts, stressing that Ankara needs clear written guarantees to be able to support their admission to NATO.

“The Nordic opponents are telling us that the national legislation must be revised. We are prepared to wait as long as it takes until Turkey’s national security concerns are addressed,” Cavusoglu said.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications abandoning decades of neutrality, citing a shift in security situation in Europe shattered by the Ukrainian crisis.

Turkey blocked the applications’ review process over Helsinki and Stockholm’s long-standing support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey deems terrorist, according to Sputnik.

On May 25, the Finish and Swedish delegations traveled to Ankara for talks, yet an ultimate settlement had not been reached, with Turkey still obstructing the two countries from joining NATO.