Erdogan: Then we can give Finland a different message

 

 

Turkey

Turkey is open to accepting Finland in NATO  

 

Of:  

 

Alexander Bönke,  

 

Lukas Jacobson 

 

Published: Today 19.10 

Updated: Less than 2 hours ago  

 

NEWS  

 

Turkey is open to accepting Finland in NATO.  

 

President Erdogan said this in a speech on Sunday evening. 

 

- Sweden will be shocked, he said in the speech. 

  

Turkey is open to accepting Finland in NATO, says President Erdogan according to AFP.  

 

The message came during a speech in the city of Bilecik on Sunday evening Swedish time.  

 

According to the president, it is not relevant for Sweden to join NATO before the government decides on the extradition of "the terrorists" that Turkey wants extradited. 

 

- They make a mockery of themselves. We can give a different message about Finland if needed. Sweden will be shocked, Erdogan said in his speech, according to the CNN Turk news agency. 

 

 ”They drive us˝  

 

In his speech, Erdogan said that Sweden is working with Turkey. 

 

- We have given them a list of 120 names and of course they are working with us. They drive us according to themselves.  

 

Took up the Koran burnings  

 

Erdogan also brought up Rasmus Paludan's Koran burnings in Stockholm and Copenhagen in recent days during a question and answer session after the speech. 

 

- We don't behave like them. That's not how we were raised. Did Islam disappear because they burned the Koran? (...) Denmark did the same. But we stand firm. 

 

- They are ignorant. Perverted. They think that because they burned the Koran the job is done, it is not. This will only strengthen our faith.  

 

Not a big difference  

 

Turkey expert Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University, says that the statement is not a big change compared to what he previously said. 

 

- I don't know if President Erdogan has spoken out on the issue this clearly before. But in essence it is not a big change. 

 

- But Erdogan emphasizes that it is Sweden that he has a problem with, says Levin to TT. 

 

Reactions in Finland  

 

The head of Finland's foreign policy institute, Mika Aaltola, writes on Twitter that they should start reviewing the possibilities for Finland to join NATO without Sweden. 

 

"Is Sweden's and Finland's NATO paths separating from each other a final position or just a negotiating tactical move (by Erdogan)? Regardless, it's time to consider the options. What would that mean for Finland, which is a direct target for Russian interests?", writes Aaltola.  

 

Piritta Asunmaa at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are completely relying on media reporting at the moment, reports Yle. They have not received any information directly from Turkey. 

 

- We will not comment on it. I can state that so far we have not seen any concrete measures from Turkey, says Asunmaa.