ERDO?AN SAID TURKEY BLOCKS SWEDEN TO JOIN NATO

Sweden and Finland has applied to join NATO...

Recep Tayyip Erdo?an Turkish president has announced that Ankara could accept Finland into NATO but could take any action against the membership of its Nordic neighbour Sweden.

Just days after Ankara suspended NATO Erdo?an was speaking, accession talks with the two countries after a protest in Stockholm in which a far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran.

“We may deliver Finland a different message [on their NATO application] and Sweden would be shocked when they see our message. But Finland should not make the same mistake Sweden did,” Erdo?an said on Sunday in a television speech.

The two countries Sweden and Finland has applied to join NATO last year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dropping their longstanding military nonalignment.

To approve their membership every member of the 30-nation alliance needs to approve their membership, and Turkey and Hungary have done so. In February the Hungarian parliament is expected to approve the bids.

Erdogan’s main complaint has been with Sweden’s refusal to extradite dozens of people that Ankara has linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a failed 2016 coup attempt.

In May he’s facing an election and has dug in his heels over Sweden’s NATO membership as he tries to energize his conservative and nationalist supporters.

To hand over almost 120 alleged suspects on Sunday Erdo?an repeated his demand.

Erdo?an said, “If you will return these terrorists to us, then you can join NATO”.

“You will send these terrorists to us so that you can join NATO.”