Turkey has 'legitimate concerns' over new Nato memberships, says Nato's Stoltenberg

Turkish President has given a list of demands he wants fulfilled by Finland and Sweden before he will support their applications

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at the opening of the Kultaranta Talks, hosted by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Naantali, Finland, on Sunday. Reuters

Turkey has “legitimate concerns” over terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday.

Ankara has said it will not back Finland and Sweden joining Nato unless it changes its policies of supporting Kurdish militants.

Mr Stoltenberg said alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that “no other Nato ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey” and pointed to its location, alongside neighbours including Iraq and Syria.

“These are legitimate concerns," he said. "This is about terrorism, it’s about weapons exports.

“We have to address the security concerns of all allies, including Turkish concerns about the terrorist group PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party].”

He spoke at Finland’s presidential summer residence Kultaranta in western Finland.

Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed Finland and Sweden to apply to join Nato in May after decades of military non-alignment.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the Nordic nations of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists and has vetoed their entry into the 30-member alliance.

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A solemn welcoming ceremony of US soldiers at Adazi military base, Latvia, on February 25, 2022. More than 300 soldiers of the 173rd Air Force Brigade arrived to demonstrate the US commitment to defend Nato allies and strengthen Latvia's defence capabilities following Russia's military operation in Ukraine. EPA

“When a vital key ally such as Turkey raises concerns on terrorism, then of course we have to sit down and take them seriously. And that’s exactly what we do,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

The demands from Ankara to Helsinki and Stockholm also include lifting restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and extraditing members of certain Kurdish organisations that are opposed to Mr Erdogan’s government.

Finland and Sweden submit applications for Nato membership - video

Finland and Sweden submit applications for Nato membership

In the past weeks, Nato’s chief has been trying to resolve the dispute but he did not disclose on Sunday whether any progress had been made.

Mr Stoltenberg was to attend an annual discussion panel in Kultaranta, Finland, later on Sunday with Finnish and Nordic politicians, foreign and security policy experts and military representatives.

He will visit Sweden on Monday for talks with the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

Updated: June 13, 2022, 4:51 AM