Erdogan said that Turkey could accept Finland’s accession to NATO, but not Sweden

turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Sunday that they might respond “differently” to Finland’s request to join NATOa response that would “shock” Sweden.

“We will respond differently to Finland if necessary. Sweden will be shocked when we respond differently to Finland.” “Finland should not make the same mistake,” Erdogan said during a meeting with youth in the Turkish province of Bilecik, the Turkish News Agency quoted Erdogan as saying. Anatolia.

Erdogan indicated that he had given Sweden a list of 120 names to hand over. “You areYou have to hand over these terrorists to be able to join NATOHe confirmed.

Turkey and Hungary remain the only two members of the 30-nation Western defense alliance that have not endorsed membership offers from Sweden and Finland.

The Hungarian parliament is expected to approve both proposals in February.

But Erdogan held out ahead of the fiercely contested presidential election on May 14, during which he is trying to reinvigorate his nationalist and conservative support base.

Sweden and Finland submitted their applications for NATO membership in a coordinated manner last May, but Turkey, as a member of the alliance, has a right of veto, which is why it took the opportunity to ask Stockholm to persecute members of the party- Kurdish militia Kurdistan workers’ party (Kurdistan workers’ party).

Erdogan’s main complaint is Sweden’s refusal to hand over dozens of suspects linked to Ankara’s ties to outlawed Kurdish militants and a failed coup attempt in 2016.

In June, Turkey and the Scandinavian countries signed a memorandum in Madrid pledging to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns.

On January 8, the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf ChristersonI announced it The Turkish government imposes a series of demands on his country to join NATO that Sweden cannot and does not want to comply with.

They want things that we cannot and do not want to give them and now the decision rests with the Turks.” The Prime Minister announced during the People’s and Defense Conference held in Stockholm and was quoted by the newspaper Aftonbladet.

Tensions worsened after the burning of a copy of the Koran on Friday in front of a mosque in Denmark by the Swedish-Danish far-right. Rasmus PaludanParty leader Stream chorus (Hardline). The previous Friday he had burned another copy in Stockholm.

Did they erase the Qur’an by burning a copy of the Qur’an in Sweden? They just showed how right they are. “Denmark did the same,” Erdogan said.

Paludan announced that he would burn a copy of the Quran every Friday until Sweden joined NATO. So far, it has only been condemned by the majority of Islamic countries.

With information from Europa Press

Read on: