3 yıl önce

Talks on Nordic NATO bids to continue, summit 'not the deadline': Türkiye

"The existence of terrorist organisations must end in those countries. That is what we expect both from Finland and Sweden," Türkiye's Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin says.

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Kalin and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal traveled to Brussels on Sunday for talks on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership applications.

Türkiye has said it did not view next week's NATO summit as a final deadline for resolving its objections to Finland and Sweden joining the Western defence alliance.

The comments from Türkiye's Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin followed a round of urgent talks in Brussels that NATO leaders had hoped would pave the way for the Nordic states' formal approval to join the bloc at the Madrid summit.

Kalin said Türkiye expects Sweden to take concrete steps against the PKK/YPG terror group's activities, adding Swedish authorities have made statements in this direction.

"The existence of terrorist organisations must end in those countries. That is what we expect both from Finland and Sweden."

Ankara also called on Sweden and Finland to prevent any funds to be collected by the PKK and their recruitment of new members for the terrorist group, as well as their activities and propaganda against Türkiye, he added.

Ankara has also demanded the two countries lift their weapons freezes on Türkiye.

No breakthrough at the Brussels talks

Kalin reported no breakthrough at the Brussels talks.

"The Madrid NATO summit is not the deadline, so our negotiations will continue," Kalin told reporters.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called the meeting "constructive" while conceding that Türkiye's "legitimate" concerns had still not been fully addressed.

"Türkiye's has legitimate security concerns over terrorism that we need to address," Stoltenberg said.

"So we will continue our talks on Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership, and I look forward to finding a way forward as soon as possible."

Kalin and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal traveled to Brussels on Sunday for talks on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership applications.

The NATO leaders' summit will be held on June 29-30 in Madrid.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies