Recep Tayyip Erdogan: warned Turkey would not ratify NATO membership bids Sweden and Finland

Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday that Turkey would not ratify the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday that Turkey would not ratify the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland until the two Nordic countries "fulfill" the promises they had made to Ankara.


"Until the promises made to our country are kept, we will maintain our principled position," Erdogan said in a speech to parliament in Ankara.

"We are closely following whether the promises made by Sweden and Finland are kept or not, and of course, the final decision will be up to our great parliament," he added.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February saw the two Nordic countries abandon decades of military non-alignment, and in May they applied to join NATO.

Although the Nordic countries hoped for a speedy entry, Turkey delayed the process by objecting to their membership.

Erdogan has accused both countries of being havens for Kurdish militants, specifically highlighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and for promoting "terrorism."

A deal was then struck between the three countries in June, which included provisions on extraditions and sharing of information, clearing the way for NATO to formally invite the two nations to join the alliance. (AFP).