ANKARA, June 15. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday, during which he stated that Turkey will not change its position regarding the membership of Sweden and Finland, until these countries provide written guarantees on combating terrorism to Ankara.
"During the conversation, President Erdogan pointed out the necessity of steps by Sweden and Finland that would dispel Turkey’s legitimate concerns. The President underscored that a progress in this process is impossible without writing obligations provided by these states regarding the change of a paradigm on combating terrorism and cooperation in defense industry," Erdogan’s office said in its press release.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Turkish leader reiterated before the parliament that Ankara’s position regarding the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland will not change until these countries change their attitude to terrorism.
On May 18, Erdogan state that Ankara will not support Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO until they define their attitude to terror groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. However, on May 21, Erdogan added that Turkey will support they accession, should Stockholm and Helsinki display clear solidarity with Ankara over its security concerns.
