Turkey Will Block Sweden and Finland Joining NATO

Turkey has blocked talks on Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, according to sources quoted by Middle East Eye.

Two sources told the London-based news outlet that Turkey has blocked the start of negotiations over the two Nordic countries’ NATO membership, which were due to start on Thursday, at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

Turkey is reported to be blocking the two countries’ bid to join the alliance because of what it sees as their lax attitude towards Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, who are considered terrorists by Ankara. The PKK, which has been fighting a war for independence against the Turkish state since 1984, is also listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the European Union.

As the possibility of a Finnish and Swedish bid for NATO admission firmed up in recent weeks, Turkey has repeatedly said it would oppose the two countries’ entry. The reason, Ankara said, was Sweden’s history of hosting members of the Kurdish militant groups. On Monday, it emerged that Sweden and Finland had refused Turkey’s request for the extradition of several people considered by Ankara to have links to the PKK and what it refers to as the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

The Turkish president’s objection has the power to block the two Nordic countries from joining the alliance, as any new member needs to be approved by all 30 NATO countries —including Turkey.

This is a breaking news story and will be later updated.