BOTA

"Concrete steps are needed", this is what Turkey claims from Sweden and Finland

"Concrete steps are needed", this is what Turkey claims from Sweden

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said Sweden and Finland must now take "concrete steps" to allay their country's security concerns in order to overcome Ankara's opposition to their NATO bid.

The countries' aspirations for membership require the support of all NATO countries, but Turkey opposes the entry of Sweden and Finland. As a reason for this, Ankara cites alleged support for Kurdish militants, whom Turkey considers terrorists, as well as restrictions on arms sales to Turkey.

Both of these Nordic countries rejected Turkey's claims.

Cavusoglu said that the "we will convince Turkey in time, we are friends and allies" approach would not be right.

He insisted that "these countries must take concrete steps."
The Turkish Foreign Minister added that "we understand the security concerns of Finland and Sweden, but ... everyone should also understand the legitimate security concerns of Turkey".

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership after the Russian occupation of neighboring Ukraine.