Sweden and Finland have officially applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a move that has been met with opposition from at least one Middle Eastern country.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blocked the start of talks of the two nations joining the organization and cited concerns he still would like to see addressed before the countries are welcomed into NATO, according to a May 18 Washington Post article.
"We are one of the countries that give the most support of the activities of the alliance, but this does not mean that we will unquestioningly say 'yes' to every proposal brought before us," Erdogan told members of his political party, according to the Washington Post. "The expansion of NATO is meaningful for us, in proportion to the respect that is shown to our sensitivities."
According to a transcription of a press availability that Secretary Antony Blinken had May 15 in Berlin, Germany, while allies were meeting in Berlin, they were joined by foreign ministers from both Sweden and Finland. Blinking said Finland and Sweden are valued defense partners of NATO and the U.S.
"The United States would strongly support a NATO application by either Sweden or Finland," Blinken said, according to the transcript. "When it comes to Sweden and Finland and their potential accession to NATO, this is a process. And NATO is a place for dialogue; it’s a place for discussion. It’s a place for talking about any differences that we may have."
NPR reported NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenbert confirmed Finland and Sweden have applied to join the alliance. However, the application now has to be weighed by the 30 member countries that make up NATO, which was expected to take about two weeks. Additionally, NPR stated that the accession process typically takes eight to 12 months, but with Russian threats looming over Nordic countries, NATO wants to move quickly.
President Erdogan is hesitant because of Sweden's possession of "30 terrorists" who are members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a group both the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization, according to the Washington Post. Sweden has refused to extradite the terrorists, and until a solution is met, Erdogan said he won't say "yes" to the countries joining NATO.
