Text/Dongfeng
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made clear on Monday that Turkey would not agree to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, adding that any attempt to persuade Ankara to change its stance would be futile. Earlier, the governments of Finland and Sweden officially announced their intention to join nato, a U.S.-led military bloc, this weekend, and Turkey had warned that it might oppose the move, and Erdogan called the two Nordic countries "the guesthouse of terrorist organizations."
Here, Erdogan is referring to the separatist groups declared outlawed by Ankara by the PKK and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP/C). Erdogan made it clear again on Monday that "these countries do not have a clear and unambiguous position on terrorist groups." Sweden is the incubator of terrorist organizations. They let terrorists speak in Parliament... We will not agree to their membership in NATO, a security organization... They intend to come monday to convince us, sorry, they don't have to bother. ”
Earlier, Sweden's foreign ministry said on Monday that senior officials from Helsinki and Stockholm would travel to Turkey to discuss the matter. Erdogan, however, said at a news conference that such talks were meaningless and directly cut off the minds of Finland and Sweden.
In order to join the EU, a country's application for membership must be unanimously approved by all 30 member states. The United States is likely to pressure Ankara to withdraw its objections. NATO is unhappy about Turkey's opposition, with DEPUTY Secretary-General Mircea Geoană previously saying he believed NATO had the ability to overcome Turkey's reservations.
Finland and Sweden have decided to reconsider their long-standing policy of non-alignment because public opinion has changed significantly amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to recent polls, most people in both countries now support joining NATO. However, the decision of these countries to apply for NATO membership was condemned by Moscow. In the view of Russian President Vladimir Putin, new developments have exacerbated an already complex international security situation.
At the same time, Putin is relatively calm. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Finland and Sweden's bid to join NATO would not pose a direct threat to Russia, but he warned the Western military alliance not to ship weapons into the territory of the two countries.
Putin said at a meeting of the leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow on Monday, "As for nato's expansion, including through new members such as Finland and Sweden, Russia wants to tell you that Russia has no problem with these countries." Therefore, in this sense, expansion for these countries does not pose a direct threat to Russia. ”
Putin's remarks contrasted with those of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov earlier Monday. Ryabkov said the Nordic countries' friendly gesture toward NATO was a "serious mistake" that would have "far-reaching implications."
But Putin has also warned of consequences if the NATO military alliance ships weapons into the territory of the two countries. Putin told the leaders of the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that "the expansion of the military infrastructure in this territory will undoubtedly cause us to react." He added that NATO's "endless expansionist policy" also "requires our extra attention."
Meanwhile, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Sunday that the Collective Security Treaty Organization should also be expanded, and he expects "dozens of countries" to join the coalition "within a few years." The Collective Security Treaty Organization was established in 1992 and currently includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.