Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday it was not possible for his country, NATO-member since 1952, to support plans by Sweden and Finland to join the pact, saying the Nordic countries were “home to many terrorist organisations.” Any decision on the alliance’s enlargement must be made by unanimous agreement of its members.
After 77 years of neutrality, largely imposed under the duress of its eastern neighbour, back in 1945 known as the Soviet Union, Finland is finally...
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Finland’s plan to apply for NATO membership, announced on Thursday, and the expectation that Sweden will follow, would bring about the expansion of the Western military alliance that Russian strongman Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent by launching the Ukraine invasion.
“We are following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we do not hold positive views,” president Erdoğan told reporters in Istanbul, adding it was a mistake for NATO to accept Greece, a country in a long-lasting conflict with Turkey, as a member in the past.
Turkey has been officially supportive of enlargement since it joined NATO 70 years ago. Any decision on the alliance’s enlargement must be made by unanimous agreement of its members.BREAKING: Turkish President Erdogan opposes Finland and Sweden joining #NATO pic.twitter.com/4rF6QvS030
— Resonant News�� (@Resonant_News) May 13, 2022
NATO states that membership is open to any “European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.”#NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg welcomes today's joint statement by President @niinisto & PM @MarinSanna of #Finland ����
— Oana Lungescu (@NATOpress) May 12, 2022
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