Turkey's Erdogan accuses Sweden of aiding terrorists amid Stockholm's bid to join NATO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Friday, again accused Sweden of supplying weapons to terrorists who carried out attacks in Turkey. He said Ankara will continue to fight the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its offshoots, despite the support they receive from the United States and Europe. Notably, he was pointing fingers at evidence wherein the country's state-owned media organisation had shown how Sweden was reportedly involved in supplying weapons to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terror outfit.

The report published by Anadolu Agency, had shown how the terror group targetted the Turkish security forces in Syria between 2017 and 2021. According to the report, the PKK in Sweden has been generating significant income through illegal means, including theft, arms trafficking, drug dealing, and racketeering. Taking to Twitter, the press office of Erdogan confirmed that the President held a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, following the Friday prayer. As per the tweet, both leaders discussed Sweden and Finland's membership application to NATO.

"President @RTErdogan made statements after the Friday prayer. (Finland and Sweden's NATO membership). Today I had an extensive meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister. Tomorrow we will hold talks with the UK and Finland (sic)," the President's office tweeted.

Turkey blocks Finland and Sweden's NATO bid

Earlier on Wednesday, May 18, nearly hours after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Finland and Sweden had submitted their application to join the military alliance, Turkey blocked the US-backed military alliance's initial process. After the confirmation, 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.

Erdogan said Ankara always supported all kinds of military alliances but stressed he could not support 'yes' to every proposal. He pointed out the presence of the PKK and the YPG and militia groups in the Nordic nations, which Turkey considers as "terrorist organisations."

Earlier, Stoltenberg indicated the process of approving the first stage of Finland and Sweden’s application would be completed within one or two weeks, however, Turkey's latest move has made it nearly "impossible". However, several other countries like the Czech Republic, Canada and Germany approved the accession.  

(Image: AP)