Finland bets on joining NATO together with Sweden despite Turkish reservations

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30 Jan. () –

The Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto, has advocated this Monday for continuing together with Sweden the process for joining NATO despite the reservations expressed by Turkey towards Stockholm’s candidacy.

Haavisto stressed that it is important that both Scandinavian countries enter the Alliance simultaneously. “It has to do with our own security and the need to improve security in the Baltic Sea,” explained the minister at a press conference picked up by Finnish public television YLE.

In fact, Haavisto has pointed to the NATO summit scheduled for July as a possible date. “I hope Finland and Sweden will be NATO members by the NATO summit in July,” he said.

The minister has also revealed intense diplomatic contacts on Sunday night. “We have been working closely with the President of the Republic –Sauli Niinistö–. I have spoken with the foreign ministers of Turkey –Mevlüt Cavusoglu– and of Sweden –Tobias Billström–. The last call was about 1.30 “, has explained.

Sweden and Finland presented their applications for NATO membership in a coordinated manner last May, but Turkey, as a member of the Alliance, has the right to veto, which is why it has taken the opportunity to demand that Stockholm persecute members of the party-militia Kurdish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

In June Turkey and the two Scandinavian countries signed a memorandum in Madrid in which they undertook to satisfy Ankara’s legitimate security concerns.

However, on January 23, Turkey broke off tripartite contacts with Sweden and Finland for the ratification of the NATO membership applications of the two Nordic countries after the burning of a Koran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm at the hands of the Swedish-Danish far-right Rasmus Paludan.

On Sunday it was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who warned that they could respond “differently” to Finland’s request for NATO membership, a response that will “shock” Sweden. Erdogan recalled that he has delivered a list of 120 names to Sweden for their extradition. “You have to extradite these terrorists to be able to join NATO,” he stressed.

Danish far-right leader Rasmus Paludan has announced that he will burn a copy of the Koran every Friday until Sweden joins NATO. At the moment he alone has achieved the condemnation of the majority of Muslim countries.