Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Sunday that his country may approve Finland's bid join NATO but block neighboring Sweden's, citing recent pro-Kurdish and anti-Islam protests in Stockholm. Erdogan also complained that Sweden has yet to extradite 120 people Turkey accuses supporting the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which he calls "terrorists." "You will extradite these terrorists if you really want to enter NATO," Erdogan said he told Sweden. "If you don't extradite these terrorists, then sorry."
Joining NATO requires approval from all 30 member nations, and only Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified the applications from Sweden and Finland, BBC News reports. "If needed, we could give a different message about Finland," Erdogan said in a prerecorded video to young people in Bilecik province. "Sweden will be shocked when we give the different message about Finland." It isn't clear if Finland would agree to join without Sweden's joint accession.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Experts call for a Nato bank to 'Trump-proof' military spendingUnder The Radar A new lender could aid co-operation and save millions of pounds, say think tanks
-
What happens if Russia declares war on Nato?Today's Big Question Fears are growing after Vladimir Putin's 'unusually specific warning' to Western governments
-
What can Ukraine gain from Russia incursion?Today's Big Question Gamble to boost morale, improve negotiating position and show the West it can still win is 'paying off – for now'
-
British defence: the crisis in the Armed ForcesTalking Point Depleted military power may not be able to meet its own commitment to up defence spending to 2.5%
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
-
What does victory now look like for Ukraine?Today's Big Question Not losing is as important as winning as the tide turns in Russia's favour again
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
