Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted on a tough stance on Sweden and Finland's request for NATO membership.
In remarks after Friday prayers, the Turkish president accused many European countries, including Germany, as well as the United States, of giving refuge and aid to the PKK.
"They say they consider the PKK a terrorist organization, why don't you consider the YPG a terrorist organization? The YPG is an organization born of the PKK. These terrorist organizations carry out all kinds of demonstrations in many European countries, especially in Germany. The EU, and even the US, give them many bargaining opportunities. In many European countries, in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Finland, terrorist organizations carry out all kinds of demonstrations. The governments of these countries give them all kinds of assurances.
The West still hides and covers them. They protest every day in Sweden, Finland, especially in Germany. When we tell them 'give it to us', unfortunately, they have not given us these terrorists until today.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, cuma namazı sonrazı gazetecilere gazetecile yapıyor https://t.co/XT6zOckAeU
- TC Cumhurbaşkanlığı (@tcbestepe) May 20, 2022
"We know this case better and we will continue to do what is necessary," he said.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, although he repeated the 'no', nevertheless left open a window of negotiations with Finland, while he said that he would also have a conversation with the NATO Secretary General.
"Today we had a long conversation with the Dutch Prime Minister, tomorrow with the United Kingdom. And Finland has made a similar request, we will talk to them. As with Stoltenberg. We will talk to them so as not to interrupt our telephone diplomacy. But first of all, once we have the documents and information about these terrorist organizations, once we know NATO's sensitivities against terrorism and once we recognize that NATO is a security organization, we can not say 'yes' to accession of a terrorist organization to NATO. I say this about Sweden and Finland. But in the parliaments of most EU member states they also give speeches and give them a step or supply them with weapons and ammunition. We know that. "With all due respect, we can not say 'yes' to the entry of these terrorist organizations into NATO."
sigmalive.com