Turkey demands ‘concrete steps’ to back Nordics’ NATO bids
By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A senior Turkish official says Turkey will not agree to Sweden and Finland joining NATO without “concrete steps in a certain timeframe” to address Ankara’s concerns. Ibrahim Kalin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, spoke after some five hours of talks Wednesday between Turkish, Swedish and Finnish officials in an effort to overcome Turkey’s strong objections to the Nordic nations’ bids to join NATO. “We have made it very clear that if Turkey’s security concerns are not met with concrete steps in a certain timetable the process will not progress,” he said. Turkey cites grievances with Sweden’s — and to a lesser extent Finland’s — perceived support of groups it views as terrorists.
