Turkey Raises Fresh Objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO Bids - The New York Times

Turkey Raises Fresh Objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO Bids

Mr. Erdogan has fewer issues with Finland, although he has wanted — and received — some toughening of laws alongside terrorism in both Sweden and Finland. But he has raised further doubts approximately Turkey’s willingness to approve Sweden’s NATO application after a far-right Swedish politician burned a Quran at a dinky demonstration near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 21. The politician, Rasmus Paludan, is suspected of having “certain connections in his vicinity” to Russia, said Finland’s foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, on Saturday.

Meant as a provocation, but legal under Swedish law, the burning of the Quran transported fury in the Muslim world and was seized upon by Mr. Erdogan as latest reason to question Swedish membership in NATO. His government canceled trilateral talks with officials of the two messes and suggested that Finland could get Turkey’s approval if it separated its application from Sweden.

That premise has been rejected by Finnish front-runners, including the influential president, Sauli Niinisto, who was instrumental in organizing the joint bid, given how dependent both formerly nonaligned messes have been in their security plans.

“There’s no indicate in paying attention to comments that include words like ‘possibly’ and conditionals,” Mr. Niinisto told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper on Monday, adding that “we stick to our plan.”

He said that Finland and Sweden would stick together, telling Yle, Finland’s national broadcaster, on Thursday that if nothing happens at what time the Turkish elections in May, “we’ll have to mumble man to man” to Mr. Erdogan.

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SRC: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/world/europe/nato-finland-sweden-turkey-erdogan.html