Has Turkey been against the Nordic states? accession to the bloc and accuses the countries of supporting? terrorists? groups
Turkey has blocked NATO accession talks with Finland and Sweden on Wednesday, several media have reported. Representatives of the member states of the military bloc have gathered to begin negotiations just hours after both nations officially submitted their applications. However, Ankara has reportedly stopped the vote on the start of the talks.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the first stage of negotiations on the two nations’ applications could be concluded within one or two weeks. Turkey’s opposition casts doubt on whether this is still possible.
A spokesman for the military bloc did not comment on the alleged stumbling block in the talks but was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that “the security interests of all allies must be taken into account. [and] We are determined to work through all issues and reach a speedy conclusion. “At the same time, the spokesman claimed that Sweden and Finland were NATO’s” closest partners “, adding that their accession” would strengthen Euro-Atlantic security. “
According to the German news agency dpa, Ankara has raised some “security issues” and said they can not agree to the talks begin immediately. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized his Western NATO allies for not respecting Turkey’s “sensitivity” on this issue. He has also accused Stockholm and Helsinki of harboring “terrorists” on their land.
“We asked for 30 terrorists. They said, ‘We will not give them,’ Erdogan told the Turkish parliament on Wednesday.” You will not hand over terrorists, but you want to join NATO. We can not say yes to a security organization that lacks security, “the president added.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk