Erdogan suggests Turkey could accept Finland into NATO — without Sweden

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan handed different stroke to Sweden's NATO bid, suggesting that his authorities could o.k. Finland's NATO rank exertion without its Nordic neighbor.

Finland and Sweden some formally applied to articulation the 73-year-old defence confederation successful May of past year, reversing their long-held argumentation of nonalignment successful the aftermath of Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine. The 2 person vowed to instrumentality their steps guardant successful tandem.

Erdogan, angry astatine Sweden's authorities for a fig of reasons, is poised to marque oregon interruption some countries' NATO accession plans, arsenic each state's exertion requires unanimous support from each 30 existent members. Hungary is the lone state too Turkey that is yet to o.k. the Nordic countries' bids, which the remainder of the subordinate states privation to fast-track.

"We whitethorn present Finland a antithetic connection [on their application], and Sweden would beryllium shocked erstwhile they spot our message. But Finland should not marque the aforesaid mistake Sweden did," Erdogan said during a code connected Sunday.

The comments travel days aft Erdogan threatened Sweden's NATO rank implicit a Quran burning led by right-wing extremists that took spot successful beforehand of the Turkish embassy successful Stockholm, thing Swedish authorities condemned but said was ineligible nether the country's escaped code laws.

"Those who let specified blasphemy successful beforehand of our embassy tin nary longer expect our enactment for their NATO membership," Erdogan said connected Jan. 23.

Turkey's animosity toward Sweden centers chiefly connected Sweden's enactment for Kurdish groups that Ankara considers to beryllium terrorists oregon affiliated with militants, and connected weapons embargoes that some Sweden and Finland, on with different EU countries, enactment connected Turkey for its targeting of Kurdish militias successful Syria.

Finland lifted its astir three-year-long arms embargo connected Turkey conscionable past week arsenic portion of its effort to amended the 2 countries' relations and bring itself 1 measurement person to winning its NATO bid.

But the narration betwixt Stockholm and Ankara presently shows nary signs of improving.

Things got truthful heated aft the Quran burning occurrence successful the Swedish superior and an anti-Erdogan protestation by Kurdish activists determination conscionable days anterior that Finland's overseas curate called for a "time-out" successful talks with Turkey implicit the Nordic states' accession to NATO.

"A time-out is needed earlier we instrumentality to the three-way talks and spot wherever we are erstwhile the particulate has settled aft the existent situation, truthful nary conclusions should beryllium drawn yet ... I deliberation determination volition beryllium a interruption for a mates of weeks," Pekka Haavisto told Reuters successful an interrogation published Jan. 24.

Sweden's enactment has bluntly said it volition not beryllium capable to conscionable each of Turkey's demands. Meanwhile, Turkey has presented it with a deadline of sorts.

"Turkey some confirms that we person done what we said we would do, but they besides accidental that they privation things that we cannot oregon bash not privation to springiness them," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said successful aboriginal January. Nonetheless, helium expressed assurance that Turkey would o.k. his country's NATO bid. 

Turkish statesmanlike spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin precocious said that Sweden has 8 to 10 weeks to marque the changes demanded by Ankara arsenic Turkey's Parliament could spell into recess earlier the country's important statesmanlike predetermination connected May 14. Sweden says it needs six much months to marque those changes.

Finland has not yet commented arsenic to however the imaginable for its NATO accession without its neighbour and adjacent state Sweden mightiness impact its plans to articulation the alliance.