In a strong show of unity, the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden on Thursday called for calm amid tensions with Turkey over their applications to become NATO members and reaffirmed their intent to have the two countries join the military alliance at the same time.
A series of recent demonstrations in Sweden, including a Quran-burning, has infuriated the Turkish government, which already had held off approving the Nordic nations’ NATO membership while pressing them to crack down on exiled members of Kurdish groups it considers terrorist organizations.
