Sweden and Finland's NATO Membership Delayed Indefinitely at Ankara's Request

Turkey, Sweden, and Finland's discussions regarding NATO membership have been postponed indefinitely at Ankara's request, a source told RIA Novosti.

“At our request, the trilateral mechanism between Turkey, Sweden, and Finland has been canceled for an indefinite period,” the source said.

According to the source, the next meeting under this mechanism was scheduled to take place in February in Brussels.

Last Saturday, protesters burned the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. As reported, the protesters had obtained prior permission from Swedish authorities.

On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized the incident as a blatant violation of the obligations outlined in the trilateral memorandum signed with Sweden to prevent the propaganda of terrorist organizations.

Additionally, two weeks ago, supporters of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held a protest in Stockholm, where they made offensive remarks against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and displayed an effigy of him hanging by its feet. Ankara's Chief Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case in this regard.

As Turkey's president stated the day before yesterday, Stockholm should no longer expect Ankara's support for its NATO membership application.

Finland and Sweden decided to join NATO on May 18, 2022, against the backdrop of events in Ukraine. Their applications have already been approved by 28 countries of the alliance, but Hungary and Turkey have yet to ratify them.