So far there has been no progress in the process of Sweden’s membership in NATO. The head of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, drew attention to this.
“Look, Stockholm is now admitting what we have repeatedly stated earlier. And what is our demand? Terrorists. So that there is no propaganda of terrorism, fundraising,” Cavusoglu said in an interview with Habertürk. promulgated on Sunday, May 7th.
The diplomat drew attention to the fact that the adoption of a law in Sweden on terrorism is not enough. “We expect concrete steps,” Cavusoglu summed up.
Finland and Sweden applied to join the Alliance in May 2022. In early July, protocols were signed on the membership of the two countries in NATO. In April of this year, Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
At the same time, the Turkish and Hungarian authorities have not yet approved Sweden’s application. Ankara has repeatedly stated that the country’s entry into NATO depends on its actions on the issue of restricting the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, a group banned in Turkey).
Turkey announced in early April that Sweden will be able to join in NATO only if Ankara’s basic demand for joint counterterrorism is fulfilled. The representative of the Turkish president drew attention to the fact that the North Atlantic Alliance is not a “tourism agency” or a cultural union. “The first task of the Alliance is to ensure the security of the member states of the organization,” he said.
For the entry of new members into NATO, the consent of all states that are part of the military-political bloc is required.
