NATO summit: Erdogan remains firm and formulates demands
Created: 06/28/2022, 19:00
By: Lukas Zigo
The focus of the NATO summit in Madrid are the negotiations with Turkey on Sweden and Finland joining the alliance.
MADRID - Leaders of Sweden and Finland have met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid.
A Swedish government official on Tuesday (June 28, 2022) confirmed the start of the meeting in the Spanish capital.
During the talks, mediated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the two Nordic countries wanted to clear up Turkey's reservations about joining NATO.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (r), President of Turkey and Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, attend a press conference.
© dpa
In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May.
Ankara surprisingly blocked the process.
In particular, Turkey accuses EU countries of granting protection to members of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The Turkish military had conducted several cross-border operations in Syria since 2016, targeting "Islamic State" and Kurdish fighters, which Ankara sees as "terrorists".
NATO accession: Joe Biden wants to talk to Erdogan about Sweden and Finland
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö took part in the talks with Erdogan.
If no solution can be found, US President Joe Biden wants to meet bilaterally with the Turkish head of state in Madrid on Wednesday.
It will probably be about possible concessions by the USA to Turkey.
French President Emmanuel Macron is also planning a talk with Erdogan.
At the invitation of the Spanish King Felipe VI.
the heads of state and government of the 30 NATO countries will come together for a dinner in the royal palace on Tuesday evening.
The actual summit starts on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is to be added as a guest on Wednesday morning.
(lz/dpa)