Turkey Blocks Start of NATO Accession Talks for Finland and Sweden

Turkey has blocked the start of NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden. This was reported by the DPA news agency on May 18 via Twitter, citing sources from the organization.

According to the agency, on Wednesday the North Atlantic Alliance was expected to discuss the applications submitted by the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden for their countries to join NATO, which would signify the beginning of the process for membership in the organization. However, the Turkish side has indicated that it cannot currently approve the start of discussions.

On May 18, Sweden and Finland officially applied for NATO membership. The ambassadors of both countries submitted their applications to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the organization's headquarters in Brussels. According to the Secretary General, the alliance hopes for swift action to formalize the membership of these countries.

On May 17, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson stated that Sweden is prepared to engage with Turkey to resolve the disagreements that have arisen between Ankara and Stockholm in the context of the accession process. Her statement was in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks on May 16, in which he expressed disagreement with the decision of Sweden and Finland to become NATO members. He stated that this position is based on Ankara's concerns regarding the extradition of individuals that Turkey views as involved in terrorist activities from Stockholm and Helsinki.