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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in June 2022
Photo: Bernat Armangue/AP
A Swedish right-wing extremist had set fire to a Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, and Turkey's blockade of Finland and Sweden joining NATO has become even stronger.
Ankara has now canceled a trilateral meeting with the two northern European countries planned for February in Brussels.
This was reported by the state television station TRT, citing Turkish diplomats.
At the request of Ankara, the meeting was postponed until further notice.
The background to the decision was initially unclear.
Turkey recently reacted angrily to the right-wing extremist burning of the Koran in Stockholm.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan then repeated his threat of vetoing NATO's northern expansion, particularly with regard to Sweden: "If you don't show respect for the Turkish Republic or the religious beliefs of the Muslims, then you can't get any support from us in the matter of NATO either .«
Finland considers joining NATO without Sweden
Turkey's attitude towards Sweden also has consequences for Finland.
On Tuesday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the talks needed a break.
He also hinted that if Turkey voted no to Stockholm, his country could join the defense alliance without Sweden.
From Helsinki's point of view, however, joint accession remains the priority.
In order to join NATO, Sweden and Finland need the consent of all 30 NATO countries.
Turkey has been blocking the project for months.
Their reservations are primarily aimed at Sweden and not at Finland.
Ankara accuses the government in Stockholm of supporting terrorist organizations.
What is meant is the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG.
The Turkish government sees her as an extension of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK.
In addition, Sweden is a haven for terrorists.
Turkey is demanding the extradition of dozens of PKK members, Kurdish activists and opposition figures from Sweden.
Haavisto said a next meeting would likely be delayed by weeks.
According to observers, this could also have something to do with the May 14 elections in which Erdoğan is seeking another term.
col/Reuters/dpa