The Turkish authorities can review the position on the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO if they meet five basic conditions. The Türkiye newspaper reported this on Thursday, noting that Swedish and Finnish diplomats planning to arrive in Ankara next Monday have prepared a "Scandinavian dossier" outlining Turkey's position and its demands.
The diplomats are expected to be received by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, who will present Ankara's demands, the newspaper said. In particular, the Turkish authorities insist on the extradition of members of the "terrorist" Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and FETO; the recognition of the so-called Syrian National Self-Defense Forces (SNDF) as terrorists, which Ankara considers affiliated with the PKK; ending support for representatives of the "Fethullahist Organization" (FETO), which the Turkish authorities accuse of being involved in preparing the 2016 coup; closing down all organizations associated with structures that Turkey associates with terrorists, and providing appropriate guarantees.
"They [the diplomats] will have to take into account our demands. They may have to visit Turkey several times," Türkiye reported, citing diplomatic sources. According to them, Ankara will not make concessions on any of the points reflected in the "Scandinavian dossier."
On May 18, the Sabah newspaper, close to the government circles, posted a list of similar demands. In addition to the demands posted in Türkiye, it spoke about the unacceptability of actions against Turkey's national security; the need for regular contacts and cooperation in the fight against terrorism, to block the bank accounts of individuals and organizations linked to terrorist organizations; and to prevent the operations of NGOs with an anti-Turkish orientation from operating in Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 18 that Ankara would not support Sweden and Finland joining NATO until they defined their attitude towards terrorist organizations, particularly the PKK. He made a similar statement on May 16, noting that he opposed Finland and Sweden joining NATO due to the refusal of those countries to extradite PKK individuals to Turkey. At the same time, Erdogan advised representatives of Scandinavian countries planning to visit Ankara to convince it to support its membership in NATO not to bother with such trips. On Wednesday, the Turkish leader repeated these words.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS