ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey doesn’t favor Sweden and Finland joining NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Istanbul on Friday, potentially dashing the two countries’ hopes of a quick accession to the military alliance.
Erdogan cited concerns over the presence of “terrorists” in both countries. A senior Turkish official later said Ankara wants Sweden and Finland to take a clear stand against supporters of a Kurdish militant group that’s fighting for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast. Ankara will hold negotiations over their membership in the alliance, the official added.
Any enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization requires unanimous approval of the alliance’s members. Turkey’s been a NATO member since 1952.
