The negotiations are based on a list drawn up by Turkey concerning, inter alia, the Kurdish organizations which Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations, their armaments and the arms embargo imposed on Turkey.
25.5. 12:45 • Updated May 25th. 14:20
Finland and Sweden have sent delegations to Ankara, Turkey, to continue discussions on NATO membership. According to , the official meeting began at 1 p.m. in Ankara.
The meeting is at the Presidential Palace. According to the Turkish broadcaster TRT, a written statement is expected after the discussions, but no press conference.
Finland and Sweden submitted their applications for membership of the Defense League NATO last week.
Turkey has stated its opposition to membership, stating that it will provide support to the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and others identified as a security threat by Turkey. It also accuses both countries of imposing arms export restrictions on Turkey.
The negotiations are based on a list drawn up by Turkey concerning, inter alia, the Kurdish organizations which Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations, their armaments and the arms embargo imposed on Turkey.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto (Green) estimates over the weekend that discussions can be a matter of weeks. The negotiating link is to be kept open at various levels.
According to the Turkish authorities, the Finnish and Swedish delegations will discuss the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanin spokesperson Ibrahim Kalinin and the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onalin with. The Finnish delegation will be led by the Chief of Staff of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Jukka Salovaara and the Swedish delegation to the Secretary of State Oscar Stenström.