Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Friday that his country is “not favourable” to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, implying that Turkey could use its veto power as a member of the Western military alliance to prevent the two countries from entering.
“We are closely monitoring developments in Sweden and Finland, but we do not share their optimism,” Erdogan told reporters.
The Turkish leader justified his rejection by noting Sweden’s and other Scandinavian countries’ alleged backing for Kurdish militants and other terrorists, whom Turkey views. He also accused Greece, a NATO ally, of exploiting the alliance against Turkey, stating that Ankara did not want to make the same “error.”