Erdogan's Statement Surprises NATO

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opposition to Sweden and Finland's NATO membership came as a surprise to the alliance. This was reported by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, citing sources.

“It was very unexpected,” NATO officials stated in the publication.

However, many are now wondering whether Turkey will actually block the organization's expansion or what demands President Erdogan might put forth in exchange for ratification, sources from the alliance have said.

As Erdogan told reporters on Friday, Ankara does not view the possibility of Stockholm and Helsinki joining NATO positively, as “the Scandinavian countries are a hotel for members of the banned terrorist organization, the Kurdistan Workers' Party.”

According to the Turkish President, “previous administrations made mistakes regarding Greece, and the attitude of Greece towards Turkey is well-known.” He emphasized that his country does not want to make “a second mistake in this matter.”

In turn, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde noted that Sweden still hopes for a positive decision from Turkey regarding the possible application for NATO membership by the kingdom.