Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Monday that his country is not ready to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, saying “Stockholm should work more seriously on what is required of it.”
“We have made it clear that a decisive fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia is our red line,” Erdogan said.
He added: “Everyone must be convinced that friendship with Turkey cannot be won by supporting terrorism or giving way to terrorists.”
Turkey has delayed final approval of Sweden’s entry into NATO, accusing the country of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and groups that Ankara considers a security threat.
NATO wants to include Sweden in time for the NATO leaders’ meeting in Vilnius, July 11-12, in Lithuania, but Erdogan said “Stockholm still has obligations to fulfill.”
And requires “NATO” unanimous approval of all current members to include a new member, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have not yet ratified the accession of Sweden.
Source: AB