ANKARA: Turkey has said Sweden has taken measures in the right way for its NATO alliance bid with anti-terrorism law but continued protests in the country by Pro-Kurdish militant sympathisers weakened its moves, President Erdogan’s office said in a statement.
Turkish President Says Stockholm’s NATO Measures Weakened by Protests
According to Reuters, President Erdogan made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, amid doubts that Turkey will lift its opposition to Sweden joining the NATO alliance in time for the military alliance’s meeting in Lithuania on July 11-12.
Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance last year, after Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv. Applications must be adopted by all NATO nations, but Hungary and Turkey have yet to sign Sweden’s bid, Reuters maintained.
Ankara has repeatedly said Sweden must take more measures against pro-elements of the outlawed PKK and men of a network Turkey holds responsible for a 2016 military coup attempt. Ankara designates both groups as terrorist outfits.
In a statement, Erdogan said Sweden has taken steps in the right direction but “supporters of the PKK continue to freely organize protests lauding terrorism, which nullifies the measures taken,”.
Stockholm says it has upheld its part of an agreement struck with Ankara in Madrid last year aimed at addressing Turkey’s security concerns, including a new anti-terrorism legislation.