Helsinki wasn’t ready for such complications on its way to becoming a member of the US-led bloc, the Finnish FM said
Turkey’s opposition has made NATO membership impossible. “purgatory”Pekka Haisto, Finland’s foreign minister, made a complaint on Wednesday.
Haavisto, whose bids for Finland and Sweden have been blocked for the past two weeks, expressed the hope that an announcement regarding the US-led NATO military bloc enlargement might still be made at NATO’s summit in Madrid in June.
The possibility of Helsinki and Stockholm joining NATO by the end of 2022 remained, but a scenario in which the process dragged on also couldn’t be ruled out, he told reporters.
Finland is now in compliance with the Turkish authorities’ stance. “a sort of a purgatory, which we weren’t prepared for in this form,” Haavisto acknowledged.
Finland and Sweden were not part of NATO in the Cold War. They decided to become members in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In mid-May, the Nordic countries applied for membership and were hopeful of a quick accession. They had been supported by the US as well as other members.
Ankara said suddenly that it would block the Finnish or Swedish bids and accused the two countries being “guesthouses for terrorist organizations”Because they host members of Kurdish organizations that were outlawed by Turkey.
Croatia threatened then to block their applications, unless they addressed the legal persecution Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
To add another member to NATO, it is necessary to reach a consensus among all NATO countries.
The Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now wants Helsinki and Stockholm to clamp down on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other groups it considers ‘terrorist’, as well as deport some suspects to Ankara. Another demand from Turkey is that Sweden and Finland lift restrictions on Turkey-related arms trade.
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NATO chief names Finland’s and Sweden’s conditions
Talks between the two sides are still ineffective. Haavisto stated during Wednesday’s press conference that they had reached an impasse. “together with Sweden we will do our homework and prepare for the questions Turkey has.”
“Now, we need strong nerves and perseverance”Finnish FM insisted that we should continue our search for ways out of this impasse.
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