Turkey has been opposed to joining the bloc of Nordic states, accusing countries of supporting “terrorist” groups.
Turkey on Wednesday blocked talks with Finland and Sweden on joining NATO, several media outlets reported. Representatives of the member states of the military bloc met to begin talks just hours after the two countries formally submitted their applications. However, Ankara reportedly closed the vote at the start of the talks.
Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the first round of talks on the two countries’ application could end in a week or two. Doubts have been raised as to whether Turkey’s resistance is still possible.
A spokesman for the military bloc did not comment on the alleged stumbling block, but the Financial Times quoted him as saying. “The security interests of all allies must be taken into account [and] We are committed to working through all the problems and reaching a quick conclusion. “. At the same time, the spokesman maintained that Sweden and Finland are NATO “Close Partner”Adds that joining them “Euro-Atlantic will strengthen security.”
According to the German DPA news agency, Ankara has raised some issues “Security Concerns” And said it could not agree to start negotiations right now. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned his Western NATO allies for failing to show respect for Turkey. “Sensitivity” In this issue. He has also been accused of harboring Stockholm and Helsinki “Terrorist” On their soil.
“We want 30 terrorists. They said: ‘We are not giving them.’ Erdogan made the remarks in the Turkish parliament on Wednesday. “You will not hand over terrorists, but you want to join NATO. We can’t say yes to an insecure security agency. “ The President added.
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