Turkey hands over list of concerns & expectations to Finland & Sweden over their NATO bid

Amid the row over Sweden and Finland joining the NATO military alliance, Turkey, which has been opposing the membership bid of both nordic nations, handed over a document outlining Ankara's concerns and expectations regarding their alleged support for terrorism. 

According to a report by the Turkish newspaper Sabah, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed about the document that Ankara has handed over to the representatives of Finland and Sweden during the tripartite meeting in Turkey's national capital.

"We have provided the Swedish and Finnish delegations in the talks with a clear, concrete document outlining our concerns and expectations regarding their support for terrorism. If they wish to meet our expectations, we will work within the same mechanism," Cavusoglu said.

As per Turkish envoy, Ankara has raised concerns regarding Finland and Sweden's "unconditional" support to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdish People's Self-Defense Forces (YPG). He said that Turkey on several occasions gave evidence of the existence of various terrorist organisations but none of the Nordic nations has acted against them.

"We have proven the existence of various terrorist organizations, including the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), the PKK / YPG, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the FETO," he added.

The document also refers to sanctions levied on Turkey in the defence industry. While speaking to reports after a visit to Palestine, the Turkish envoy said he believes that the countries would respond to the country properly.

Also, he hoped negotiations with both Sweden and Finland would continue in the near future. He added “We understand Finland and Sweden’s security concerns but ... everyone also needs to understand Turkey’s legitimate security concerns.”

Turkey blocks Finland and Sweden's NATO bid

It is worth mentioning, that last week, NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg, accepted the membership application of both Sweden and Finland amid fears of Russia's intention to harm Nordic countries. However, Turkey, which had earlier warned of hindering the plans of Sweden and Finland, blocked the US-backed military alliance's initial process.

While reacting to their action against the countries, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged NATO allies to respect and support Ankara's concerns about its security. "We see that there is no such attitude towards us," he said. Earlier, it was speculated that the approval of the first stage of Finland and Sweden’s application would be completed within one or two weeks, however, Turkey's move has made it nearly "impossible".

Image: AP