Istanbul. October 1. INTERFAX - Turkey will not ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO until these countries fulfill the promises made to Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
"Until the promises made to our country are fulfilled, we will not change our principled position. We are closely monitoring whether Sweden and Finland are fulfilling their promises. And then, of course, our parliament will make the final decision," Western media quoted him as saying.
Turkey, among other things, insists that Sweden and Finland change their position regarding Kurdish paramilitary groups, which Ankara considers terrorist groups. Ankara also insists on the extradition of a number of Kurdish figures from Sweden and Finland.