Istanbul. July 18. INTERFAX - Turkish President Recep Tayyim Erdogan on Monday once again warned that if Sweden and Finland do not fulfill their obligations, Ankara will not ratify their accession to NATO.
"Ankara will not approve the applications of Sweden and Finland to NATO in case of non-fulfillment of the obligations that the two Scandinavian countries have taken in the fight against terrorism," the Anadolu agency quoted the Turkish leader as saying.
"Our position is clearly marked. The choice is up to the Scandinavian countries themselves," Erdogan added.
At the same time, the agency notes, according to Erdogan, Stockholm "does not demonstrate a positive approach to sensitive issues that concern Turkey in the security sphere."
The Turkish authorities have previously warned that if Stockholm and Helsinki do not fulfill their obligations, Ankara will block their entry into NATO again.
At the NATO summit in Madrid in June, the Turkish president agreed to stop blocking the consideration of applications from Sweden and Finland for NATO membership. In exchange, both Scandinavian countries have made a number of commitments. Many of them relate to the fight against Kurdish groups, which Ankara considers terrorist. Erdogan noted that Stockholm and Helsinki assured Ankara of the extradition of terrorists and the change of legislation. Sweden, in particular, promised to extradite 73 terrorists to Turkey.
