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Qatar tribune

dpa /Agencies

Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled he might support Finland’s accession process to the Western defence alliance NATO - while withholding approval for the membership of the country’s Nordic neighbour Sweden.

“If necessary, we can send a different message regarding Finland,” Erdogan said in a speech to young people on Sunday evening, according to a report by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish president added: “Sweden will be shocked if we make a different statement regarding Finland.” At the same time, he warned Finland against making the same “mistakes” as its neighbour.

After decades of neutrality, Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance last year, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

However, the ratification requires unanimous approval, and member Turkey has so far refused to agree, initially citing security concerns. Ever since, diplomatic efforts have been under way to address Ankara’s fears.

Last week, Erdogan said that Sweden could not count on his country’s support for accession after a right-wing extremist politician burned a Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Ankara has also accused both of the prospective Nordic member countries of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, both of which Turkey classifies as terrorist groups.

NATO member state Hungary also still hasn’t approved the accession process for Sweden and Finland.

Late on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry issued a travel warning for European countries over anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia.

The warning cited an increase in anti-Turkish protests by “groups with links to terror groups,” a reference to the PKK, which took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.

Pro-Kurdish groups have waved the flags of the PKK and its affiliates during protests in Sweden organised as a response to Sweden and Finland’s promise to prevent PKK activities in their countries in order to secure Turkey’s approval for them to join NATO.

As part of that memorandum, Erdogan said Turkey had provided a list of 120 people it wants extradited from Sweden.

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31/01/2023
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