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Pekka Havisto: Finland's foreign minister believes NATO talks will pause for a while
Photo: Henrik Montgomery/EPA
After a well-known right-wing extremist burned a Koran in Stockholm, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finally wants to withdraw support for Sweden's NATO membership.
This would also have consequences for Finland.
The northern European neighboring countries strive together in the military alliance.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has now commented on the latest developments.
According to him, the NATO talks need a break.
He believes it is possible for the negotiations to continue in a few weeks, when "the dust has settled a bit," he said on Finnish television.
Haavisto also said he had exchanges with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Monday.
“The situation there is hectic because of the upcoming elections.
We hope, however, that the process can be pushed further.«
So far he sees no reason to discuss Finland going it alone without Sweden.
Joining NATO together continues to be a priority.
Nevertheless, Haavisto indicated a cautious rethinking in Helsinki for the first time.
In view of a possible no by Turkey to Sweden joining NATO, Haavisto believes that Finland must consider joining the defense alliance without Stockholm.
Admittedly, joint accession by the two countries remains the "first option," he said on Finnish television.
However, his country must "assess whether something has happened that would prevent Sweden from progressing in the long term".
However, it was too early "to take a position," Haavisto said.
Waiting for the elections in Turkey
Turkey has been blocking NATO's northern expansion for months.
Their reservations are primarily aimed at Sweden and not at Finland.
She accuses the government in Stockholm of supporting terrorist organizations.
What is meant is the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG.
Ankara 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.
Most recently, the conflict between Ankara and Stockholm had escalated.
As early as mid-January, Kurdish activists hung up an Erdoğan doll by its feet in Stockholm.
At the weekend, well-known right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran.
His protest, he claimed, was directed at the Turkish president's attempt to influence freedom of expression in Sweden.
Turkey demanded consequences, although both incidents were criticized by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
However, they are covered by freedom of speech in Sweden.
Finally, on Monday evening, Erdoğan announced that he would no longer support Sweden on the NATO issue.
Observers now think it is impossible for Sweden to join NATO before the Turkish parliamentary elections.
The elections are expected to take place on May 14th.
The Finns should also wait and see how the situation develops after the vote in Turkey.
Editor's note: The original version stated that Kurdish activists had already set fire to an Erdoğan doll in Stockholm in mid-January. That's wrong. It is correct that the activists had hung an Erdoğan doll by its feet.
asc/AFP/Reuters
