Status: 01/24/2023 10:35 a.m
Turkish President Erdogan has again refused to vote for Sweden to join NATO. In response, Finland’s foreign minister has now declared that his country could, if necessary, join the alliance without its neighbors.
After drastic statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about Sweden’s chances of joining NATO, Finland has for the first time shown itself open to possibly joining the alliance without its Nordic partner.
Finland may be forced to consider joining NATO without its longtime ally Sweden, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Finnish broadcaster Yle. Of course, with a view to the security of the two countries, moving forward together is still the absolute first option, Haavisto said.
Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto reacted to the latest statements from Turkey.
Image: AFP
However, one must be ready to reassess the situation if it turns out that the Swedish NATO application is stuck in the long term. It is still too early to comment on this.
Turkey has been blocking for months
Following the burning of the Koran by an Islamophobic provocateur in Stockholm, Erdogan said on Monday evening that Sweden could not count on Turkey’s support for NATO membership. “If you don’t show respect to the Turkish Republic or the religious beliefs of the Muslims, then you can’t get any support from us in terms of NATO,” he said in Ankara.
Haavisto said such protests play with the safety of Finland and Sweden. NATO member Turkey has been blocking Sweden and Finland from joining NATO for months. Above all, she accuses Sweden of supporting “terrorist organizations” such as the Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and demands the extradition of a number of people whom Ankara regards as terrorists.
Haavisto calls for the talks to be suspended
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Finland’s foreign minister called for the talks to be suspended: “A time-out is needed before we return to the tripartite talks and see where we stand when the dust settles after the current situation.”
However, “no conclusions” should be drawn just yet, Haavisto said. “I think there will be a hiatus for a couple of weeks.”
All 30 NATO members have to ratify the applications for membership, 28 have already done so – only Turkey and Hungary are still missing. Sweden could only be admitted to the defense alliance with the consent of the NATO country Turkey.