Türkiye demands Sweden to 'keep promises' for NATO bid

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Sweden once again to uphold its promises in the fight against terrorism as the Nordic country pursues NATO membership.

"We cannot support those who embrace terrorism. How can a state that cannot distance itself from terrorism contribute to NATO?" Erdoğan questioned, speaking at a graduation ceremony of the National Defense University in Istanbul on July 7.

Ankara expects Sweden to keep the promises made in Madrid, the president said, referring to the trilateral agreement signed last June in the Spanish capital.

Erdoğan's remarks come following talks in Brussels with foreign ministers from the two countries. The discussions, initiated by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, aimed to find common ground and persuade Türkiye to endorse Sweden's membership before the military alliance's annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Sweden applied for NATO membership last year amidst concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and escalating tensions in Europe. Initially, both Sweden and Finland sought to join the alliance together, but Türkiye's objections to Sweden's membership prompted Finland to proceed independently, securing its NATO membership in April.

Ankara has long been voicing concerns about Sweden's leniency towards terrorist groups and is pushing for more concrete action in the fight against them. Although Sweden has amended its anti-terror legislation since applying for NATO membership, Türkiye argues PKK supporters can still freely organize demonstrations, recruit and procure financial resources within the country.

Erdoğan also underscored Türkiye's contributions to the NATO alliance over the past 71 years.

"Few allies have contributed more to the NATO alliance than Türkiye. We demonstrated our principled stance by approving Finland's membership, and we did not hesitate to show our reaction to those who patronize terrorists," he said. "There can be no reasonable justification for those who say we should show solidarity under the roof of NATO to embrace murderers."

The demonstrations rallied by pro-PKK groups in Sweden have frustrated the Nordic country's bid to join NATO. Moreover, demonstrations by individual anti-Islam activists have further complicated matters.

Last week, a self-identified refugee from Iraq set fire to a Quran outside a mosque in central Stockholm. The police authorized the protest citing freedom of speech, after a previous decision to ban a similar protest was overturned by a Swedish court.

Stoltenberg expressed his intention to reconvene for further discussions on July 10, expressing optimism that Sweden's NATO participation could materialize before the alliance's annual leaders' summit scheduled for July 11-12. NATO chief acknowledged that certain issues remain unresolved but expressed his commitment to working on them over the weekend.