Mention Drones, Finnish Foreign Minister Hints That Turkey Is Interested In Weapons, Woos To Be Accepted As A Member Of NATO?

Turkey-made Bayraktar TB2 drone illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Finland has expressed interest in a number of Turkish-made weapons, with the country's top official citing drones, seen as an attempt to persuade Ankara to back them for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Along with Sweden, Finland signed up to join NATO last month in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but they have faced resistance from Turkey.

Ankara accuses them of being a safe haven for terrorists, including members of the YPG/PKK terrorist group. In addition, Turkey also mentioned a ban on arms exports.

"There are some weapons technologies from Turkey that could be of interest to Finland. Everyone has followed these drones and other systems," Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a press conference, citing Daily Sabah of the Financial Times on June 2.

"But I don't want to rush before the event. Let's see the current state of the negotiations first," continued Haavisto.

He further said that the Nordic countries and Turkey can carry out arms deals with each other, if both are members of the western alliance.

Sweden and Finland banned arms exports to Turkey after a 2019 military operation that sought to clear northern Syria east of the Euphrates River from the YPG.

Ankara considers the YPG synonymous with the PKK and views both groups as terrorist organizations. The PKK is also recognized as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.

What Haavisto said was probably referring to the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UCAV), which has proven effective in recent years in conflicts in Syria, Libya and Karabakh.

The Ukrainian military has also deployed the Bayraktar TB2, developed by Turkish drone magnate Baykar, against Russian forces.

To note, talks between Turkish officials and delegations from Sweden and Finland have so far made little progress in overcoming Ankara's objections.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that the Nordic countries had not yet given Turkey a concrete response that met its expectations.

This raises the prospect that Turkey may still oppose the membership offer, when NATO holds a summit later this month in Madrid. As for acceptance, all 30 NATO members must give approval.