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Erdogan warns Sweden, Finland on NATO membership

July 1, 2022 at 3:30 pm

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkiye on 28 June 2022 [Mustafa Kamacı/Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations, two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Erdogan said the membership could still be blocked if the countries did not fulfil their end of a bargain with Ankara to extradite wanted individuals deemed by Turkiye to be “terrorists”.

In addition, Erdogan also stated that Sweden had promised to send 73 people with alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who Erdogan holds responsible for orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt.

READ: Turkiye demands extradition of terrorists after Sweden-Finland NATO deal