JAKARTA - Finland pledged a commitment to ensure Turkey's security if it is successfully accepted as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's refusal.
Finland and Sweden's desire to join NATO has been rejected by President Erdoan, focusing on the security issues that Turkey complains about. Rejection that makes NATO 'shock'.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto acknowledged Ankara's concerns about his country's offer of membership, but said joining NATO would ensure both countries are committed to their mutual security.
"Finland has always had a proud and good bilateral relationship with Turkey. As a NATO ally, we will be committed to Turkey's security, just as Turkey will be committed to our security," Niinisto said at the White House, Washington DC, as he and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson received by US President Joe Biden, quoted from the Daily Sabah May 20.
"We take terrorism seriously. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and we are actively engaged in fighting it. We are open to discussing any concerns Turkey may have regarding our membership in an open and constructive manner," he added.
Meanwhile, PM Andersson said his government "is currently in dialogue with all NATO member states, including Turkey, at different levels to resolve any issues at hand."
Meanwhile, President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Andersson of Sweden and President Niinisto of Finland to the White House with handshakes and laughter, as they met for trilateral talks on a joint NATO defense pact and broader European security issues.
"Today I am proud to welcome and offer strong support in the United States for the adoption of two great democracies, and two very capable close partners to join the strongest and most powerful defense alliance in world history," said President Biden.
"They meet every requirement of NATO. Having two new NATO members in the highlands will increase the security of our alliance. New members joining NATO are not a threat to any country," he said.
The leaders' optimism for the Swedish and Finnish applications is set against the lingering opposition from Turkey, which President Tayyip Erdoğan said in a video Thursday he remains against. Meanwhile, each of the 30 NATO member states has the power to veto membership bids.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
"We have told our relevant friends, we will say 'no' to Finland and Sweden entering NATO, and we will continue our path like this," President Erdogan said.
President Erdogan said Turkey's objections stemmed from complaints with Sweden, and to a lesser extent with Finland, which is seen as supporting the banned terror group PKK and its Syrian offshoot the YPG.
Turkey also accuses Sweden and Finland of harboring followers of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which was behind the 2016 military coup attempt. The objections echo Turkey's longstanding grievances about more substantial US support for these terrorist groups.
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