STOCKHOLM (AP) — Finland’s top diplomat appeared to suggest Tuesday that the country may have to join NATO without Sweden after Turkey’s president questioned expanding the military alliance.
“We still have to assess the situation if it turns out that Sweden’s application will be stalled for a long time,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Finnish broadcaster YLE.
His comment came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden not to expect support for its NATO bid following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and groups. pro-Kurdish.
The historic bid by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance needs the approval of all existing NATO members, including Turkey, which has so far blocked expansion, saying Sweden in particular needs to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and his supporters.
Until now, Sweden and Finland had pledged to join the alliance, but Haavisto’s comment seemed to suggest that Finland was considering proceeding without its Nordic neighbor.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström told YLE that “we are in contact with Finland to find out what it really means.”
