Türkiye's stance on Nordic NATO bids won't change until action on terror

Türkiye will not change its stance on Sweden's and Finland's NATO bids until they take clear, concrete, and decisive steps in their fight against terrorism, the Turkish president has said.

Türkiye will not stand by Sweden (in its NATO bid) while terrorist organisations act freely on Swedish streets, and it will not leave the blood of the country's "martyrs" on the ground, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party on Wednesday.

Erdogan spoke with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg later on Wednesday over the phone and reiterated the steps required to address Ankara's "legitimate" concerns over the NATO bids of the Nordic nations.

According to a statement by Türkiye's Communications Directorate, Erdogan told Stoltenberg that no progress can be achieved without seeing "concrete steps" by both Finland and Sweden that would meet Türkiye's "rightful expectations."

The steps might include written commitments to a paradigm shift in fighting terrorism and defence industry cooperation, it said.

READ MORE: Türkiye to NATO chief: Our security concerns based on legitimate grounds

PKK and FETO ties

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russian attacks on Ukraine, which began on February 24.

Their accession requires the unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member countries.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticising the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

READ MORE: Türkiye's security concerns are legitimate: NATO chief on Nordic bids

READ MORE: Sweden looks forward to continuing dialogue with Türkiye over NATO bid: PM