Erdogan links Sweden's NATO membership to Turkey's EU accession
(VOVWORLD) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in an unexpected move, said on Monday the European Union should open the way for Ankara's accession to the bloc before Turkey's parliament approves Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance.
Turkey's bid to join the EU has been frozen for years after membership talks were launched in 2005 under Erdogan's first term as prime minister.
"I am calling from here on these countries that are making Turkey wait at the door of the European Union for more than 50 years," Erdogan said, speaking ahead of his departure for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
"First, come and open the way for Turkey at the European Union and then we will open the way for Sweden, just as we did for Finland," he said, adding that he would repeat his call during the summit.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year.
While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. Stockholm has been working to join the bloc at the summit in Vilnius.
Ankara says Sweden has not done enough against people Turkey sees as terrorists, mainly members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and the United States.