Finnish president casts doubt on deal with Turkey before NATO summit

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CN) — Only a month ago, it seemed like a piece of cake for Sweden and Finland to join NATO.

When they submitted their applications to join the military alliance in mid-May, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believed that Sweden and Finland would be in pole position to be accepted as members at the NATO summit in Madrid starting next week.

But now it seems unlikely, Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Niinistö said it will be difficult for Finland and Sweden to reach an agreement with Turkey before the NATO summit, which should have cemented the Nordic countries' entry into the alliance.

The statement comes after senior officials from Turkey, Finland and Sweden met with NATO officials in Brussels on Monday to discuss security concerns raised by Ankara.

Turkey can block Sweden and Finland from entering the alliance as all 30 NATO members must vouch for new potential memberships unless they omit to vote.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claims that Sweden and Finland harbor terrorists. Erdogan says that the Nordic countries are housing members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

Even though both NATO hopefuls have banned the PKK as a terrorist organization along with the European Union and the United States, Turkey still alleges that Sweden supports PKK members. Sweden denies the claim, although admits to supporting Kurds who are not part of the PKK.

Together with Finland and other European countries, Sweden stopped exporting weapons to Turkey in 2019 due to Ankara’s military action against Kurdish groups in Syria. Erdogan wants the Nordic countries to reverse course and hand over people that Turkey has charged with terrorism.

Failing to meet the requirements may delay the application process for years, said Akif Çağatay Kılıç, chair of the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee and member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, according a report from The Guardian.

NATO’s secretary general said Turkey's concerns are valid.

“Turkey has legitimate security concerns over terrorism that we need to address,” Stoltenberg said. "We will continue our talks on Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership, and I look forward to finding a way forward as soon as possible."

Last week, Stoltenberg told the press that Sweden had taken important steps to meet Turkish demands. Swedish Prime Magdalena Andersson said that, by July, Sweden will have “stronger legislation when it comes to the fight against terrorism."

While the Finnish president does not believe a deal with Turkey will be reached by next week, present negotiations are a sign of “progress,” Niinistö said.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Niinistö was asked if Finland might become a NATO member by September.

“It is possible. But it is also possible that we might not become members then,” he said.

Follow @LasseSrensen13

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