Turkey has always supported the idea of expanding NATO, but it has concerns with regard to Finland and Sweden's desire to join the alliance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.
"Countries supporting terrorism should not be allies in NATO," Çavuşoğlu said yesterday (May 15), after an informal NATO gathering held in Berlin.
Both Finland and Sweden "must stop supporting terror groups," and give clear security guarantees in order to become NATO members, said Çavuşoğlu.
After the two countries announced their intentions to join NATO, Ankara opposed this, accusing them of "aiding terrorists."
On Saturday, Çavuşoğlu met with his counterparts from Sweden and Finland. During the three-way meeting, the two ministers came up with proposals to address Turkey's concerns, he said. However, he added, identifying the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a "terror group" alone would not meet the expectations of Ankara and it wants to see more "tangible efforts."
Ann Linde, the foreign minister of Sweden, played down the accusations, saying that the two countries have "very strong" support from Turkey's NATO allies.
Speaking to the media in Sweden, Linde suggested that Ankara might "want something" in return for approving Sweden's membership in NATO.
What does Ankara want?
Turkey has made it clear why it opposes the memberships of Sweden and Finland for the time being and has expressed its discomfort related to the two countries' "talks" with members of the PKK, Çavuşoğlu said.
Restrictions on export permits by the would-be NATO members are "unacceptable," he added, asserting that such constraints are adopted against hostile countries.
The minister went on to say that Turkey's demands that the countries lift restrictions on its defense industry and exports should be regarded as an indication of the spirit of alliance, rather than a bargaining chip, because Ankara has concerns about the two countries. (VK)
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