愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Erdogan might approve Finland's NATO bid, 'shock' Sweden

Turkiye鈥檚 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
Turkiye鈥檚 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks after a cabinet meeting in Ankara Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
Share
ISTANBUL -

Turkiye's president has suggested his country might approve Finland's application for NATO membership before taking any action on Sweden's, while the Turkish government issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia.

The travel warning published late Saturday followed demonstrations last weekend outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden, where an anti-Islam activist burned the Quran and pro-Kurdish groups protested against Turkiye. The events stiffened Turkiye's refusal so far to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.

Sweden and Finland applied jointly to become members of the military alliance, dropping their longstanding military nonalignment following Russia's war on Ukraine. In a pre-recorded video of an event released Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Turkiye might sign off on only Finland.

"If needed, we could give a different message about Finland. Sweden will be shocked when we give the different message about Finland." Erdogan said to a group of young people in Bilecik province.

Turkiye has accused the government in Stockholm of being too lenient toward groups it deems as terror organizations or existential threats, including Kurdish groups. NATO requires unanimous approval of its existing members to add new ones, but Erdogan's government has said it would only agree to admit Sweden if the country met its conditions.

In its travel warning to citizens, the Turkish foreign ministry cited an increase in anti-Turkish protests by "groups with links to terror groups," a reference to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Turkiye. Along with Turkiye, the European Union and United States also designate the PKK as a terror group.

Pro-Kurdish groups have waved the flags of the PKK and its affiliates during protests in Sweden organized as a response to Sweden and Finland's promise to prevent the PKK's activities in their countries in order to gain Turkiye's approval for their NATO memberships.

Erdogan said he told the Swedish prime minister, "You will extradite these terrorists if you really want to enter NATO. If you don't extradite these terrorists, then sorry." He said Turkiye had provided a list of 120 people it wants extradited from Sweden, a demand that was part of a memorandum signed in June that averted Turkiye's veto of the Nordic nations' joint application.

Turkiye is demanding the extradition of alleged PKK militants as well as some followers of Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric accused of the 2016 attempted coup. In December, the Swedish Supreme Court said the country cannot extradite Bulent Kenes, the former editor-in-chief of a newspaper linked to Gulen, angering Turkiye.

Turkiye also strongly condemned far-right activist Rasmus Paludan's burning of the Quran last weekend in Stockholm, which he repeated in Copenhagen Friday. Ankara summoned the Dutch ambassador after another far-right activist tore pages of the Quran in the Hague.

Following last week's protests, Erdogan warned Sweden not to expect support for its membership bid for the military alliance. Turkiye also indefinitely postponed a key meeting in Brussels that would have discussed Sweden and Finland's NATO membership.

The Turkish foreign ministry urged its citizens to take precautions and stay away from demonstration areas in Europe. It also said they should go to local authorities if they face xenophobic or racist attacks.

In a separate advisory, the ministry also urged Turkish citizens to be vigilant in the United States in case of protests in response to the fatal beating by Memphis, Tennessee, police of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man.

Earlier Saturday, before Turkiye had issued its travel warning, the Nordic countries separately issued updated travel guidelines for Turkiye. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden urged their citizens visiting Turkiye to avoid large gatherings and to exercise caution.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a message on its website that Sweden's embassy in Ankara remains closed to the public and visitors to the country's consulate general in Istanbul are "requested to exercise vigilance."

"We want to make Swedes in Turkiye aware that further manifestations may occur," the Swedish ministry said, referring to counter-protests that erupted in Turkiye after last weekend's events in Stockholm.

------

Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.