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France 24
France 24
Politics
FRANCE 24

Turkey’s Erdogan demands EU membership talks in exchange for backing Swedish NATO bid

File photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (left) during a joint press conference in Ankara on November 8, 2022. © Adem Altan, AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday introduced a new condition for approving Sweden’s membership in NATO, calling on European countries to “open the way” for Turkey to join the European Union.

The surprise announcement by Erdogan before departing to a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital added new uncertainty to Sweden's bid to become the alliance's 32nd member, which Turkey initially blocked saying Sweden was too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers security threats.

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