The Finnish president said he was “
optimistic
” on Tuesday May 17 about obtaining the support of Turkey for the accession of his country and Sweden to NATO, despite threats of blocking by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
Read alsoNATO enlargement: “
Farewell to Finlandization
”
"
The last few days have been a bit surprising
," said Sauli Niinistö during a state visit to Sweden coinciding with the announcement of the candidacy of the two Nordic countries.
In a call last month with President Erdogan, the latter said he was "
favourable
" to Finland's entry "
and last week he said he was 'not favourable'
", he said. added.
“
That means we have to continue our discussions.
I am optimistic
”, affirmed the Finnish president.
“
With constructive discussions, I am confident that the situation can be resolved
,” he continued.
Turkey will “not give in”
President Erdogan said Monday evening that Turkey will "not
give
in" on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO after the two countries formalized their candidacy.
However, any enlargement is subject to the unanimous approval of the members of the Alliance.
Ankara criticizes Sweden and Finland in particular for not approving its requests for the extradition of people it accuses of being members of "
terrorist organizations
" such as the Kurdish PKK.
Sweden suspended arms deliveries to Turkey after a Turkish military operation in Syria in 2019.
Read alsoAnkara spoils the celebration of the future accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
“
How are we going to trust them?
Sweden is the breeding ground for terrorist organizations (…) We will not give up on NATO membership for those who apply sanctions against Turkey
,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, three days after expressing a first times its hostility to membership.
A meeting on Saturday in Berlin between the Turkish, Swedish and Finnish Foreign Ministers failed to resolve the situation.
Turkey also blocked on Monday a NATO statement favorable to the entry of Sweden and Finland, which was to be released on Tuesday, AFP learned from diplomatic sources.