Turkey trip: Finland and Sweden want to break the NATO blockade – Erdogan sends “close confidants”

Created: 05/25/2022, 12:44 p.m

By: Florian Naumann, Stephanie Munk

Because of the Ukraine war, Sweden and Finland want to join NATO soon - but Turkey is blocking accession.

Representatives of the two countries will meet with Erdogan on Wednesday.

News ticker.

• Sweden and Finland want to join NATO in the Ukraine conflict

  .

• Turkey is resisting NATO membership:

  the country is blocking the plans and sees its own interests at risk

• Negotiations with Erdogan in Ankara:

  Representatives of the three countries will meet on Wednesday, May 25th

• This

  news ticker about the planned NATO accession of Finland and Sweden

  is constantly updated.

Ankara - Turkey will receive delegations from Sweden and Finland on Wednesday for talks on the NATO membership bid.

Representatives of the three countries are to meet in Ankara around noon, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

According to Turkish information, state secretaries are to travel for Finland and Sweden.

Sweden and Finland before joining NATO?

Guessing about talks with Erdogan advisor in Turkey

Turkey will be represented, among others, by Ibrahim Kalin, adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A reporter from the Swedish broadcaster SVT saw the presence of one of Erdogan's "closest confidants" in the morning as a sign of the "weight" that Turkey was attaching to the issue.

Further information about the talks is not yet public, it said there.

Erdogan's Turkey is currently the only NATO member to publicly block the start of the admission process for Finland and Sweden.

The two Nordic countries in NATO jointly submitted their membership applications to NATO last week under the impression of the Ukraine war.

All 30 member countries must agree to a country joining NATO.

Erdogan blocks NATO membership: Turkey accuses Finland and Sweden of supporting terrorism

Erdogan justifies his blockade attitude with the alleged support of Finland and Sweden for "terrorist organizations".

He demands tougher action from Finland and Sweden against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdish-Syrian YPG, which the government in Ankara classifies as terrorist organizations.

Turkey is also demanding the extradition of Kurds who have found protection in Finland and Sweden.

Turkey also accuses the two countries of having stopped arms deliveries to Ankara.

Last week there was already a phone call with Erdogan and his two counterparts from Sweden and Finland, but without a decisive breakthrough.