Erdogan Says Won’t Let ‘Terrorism-Supporting’ Countries Enter NATO

A handout photo made available by the Turkish President's Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony of the transformation of the Ataturk Airport into a national garden in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 May 2022. (EPA/Turkish President Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish President's Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony of the transformation of the Ataturk Airport into a national garden in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 May 2022. (EPA/Turkish President Press Office Handout)
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Erdogan Says Won’t Let ‘Terrorism-Supporting’ Countries Enter NATO

A handout photo made available by the Turkish President's Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony of the transformation of the Ataturk Airport into a national garden in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 May 2022. (EPA/Turkish President Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish President's Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony of the transformation of the Ataturk Airport into a national garden in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 May 2022. (EPA/Turkish President Press Office Handout)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said talks with Finland and Sweden about their joining NATO were not at the "expected level" and Ankara cannot say yes to "terrorism-supporting" countries, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Sunday.

Turkey has objected to Sweden and Finland joining the Western defense alliance, holding up a deal that would allow for a historic enlargement following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Erdogan's latest comments indicated his opposition continued.

"For as long as Tayyip Erdogan is the head of the Republic of Turkey, we definitely cannot say 'yes' to countries which support terrorism entering NATO," he was cited as telling reporters on his return from a trip to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Two sources previously told Reuters that Wednesday's talks with Finnish and Swedish delegations made little headway and it was unclear when further discussions would take place. All 30 NATO members must approve plans to enlarge NATO.

Turkey challenged the bids from Sweden and Finland on the grounds that the countries harbor people linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and others it deems terrorists, and because they halted arms exports to Ankara in 2019.

"They are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past regarding countries that embrace and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organization," he said.

Sweden and Finland have said they condemn terrorism and welcomed the possibility of coordinating with Ankara.

"Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We decline to comment further at this moment," Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said in an emailed comment to Reuters following Erdogan's latest statement.

Erdogan also said Turkey wanted to see an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, but that the situation was becoming more negative each day.

"On Monday, I will have phone calls with both Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to encourage the parties to operate channels of dialogue and diplomacy," he said.



Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In

Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In
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Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In

Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In

The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month.

The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said, Reuters reported.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The letter, which was posted to the internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.