Turkey has presented Finland and Sweden with a list of ten requirements they must meet to secure Ankara’s support for their NATO membership bids, the Yeni Safak outlet reported on Wednesday, citing the documents it had obtained.
While the Turkish government is yet to confirm the authenticity of this list, it corresponds to previous official statements from Ankara.
Turkey has been opposing the accession of the two Nordic countries to the military alliance and describing Finland and Sweden as “guesthouses for terrorist organizations” due to them hosting members of Kurdish groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey.
The list of demands, if it is confirmed to be genuine, shows that the terrorism-related concerns remain a key issue for Ankara as regards to Helsinki and Stockholm’s NATO bids. Seven out of ten demands are related to this matter.
At the top of the list, Turkey reportedly asks Finland and Sweden to support it “in its fight against terrorist organizations,” including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is suspected of attempting a coup in Turkey in 2016, as well as their affiliates.