Turkey announces new condition for supporting Sweden's accession to NATO
(VOVWORLD) - Turkey will ratify Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) if the United States approves the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In early July, Erdogan pledged that the Turkish parliament would approve Sweden's application in the autumn. Erdogan said that he expected Sweden to take concrete steps against terrorism as per an agreement between the two countries.
Sweden and Finland accelerated their NATO membership last year but faced the objection of Turkey, who said those two countries harbor members of “terrorist” groups, in particular members of the PKK, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey.
In order for a country to join NATO, unanimous approval is required, which means the approval of all 30 existing allied countries. Finland will become the 31st NATO member in April.