Erdogan begins ‘diplomatic blitz’ as he digs heels in over Nordic Nato memberships

THE Turkish president is preparing to mount a diplomatic blitz in Europe in an effort to highlight Ankara’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s Nato membership applications.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak to officials in London and Helsinki and to the head of Nato today, about his concerns regarding the Nordic countries joining the defence alliance.

He is also likely to use the talks to try to end a ban on Turkey participating in the F-35 fighter jet programme. The ban was introduced after Ankara bought Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Moscow.

Turkey blocked an initial move to fast-track applications from Sweden and Finland to join the bloc this week, voicing concern over the Nordic countries’ supposed support for outlawed Kurdish group the PKK.

Mr Erdogan said Finland and Sweden are “almost like guesthouses for terrorists”, adding: “There are supporters of terrorism in parliament. We cannot be positive towards this.”

Ankara’s demands include recognising Syrian Kurdish groups as an offshoot of the PKK, and the extradition of 30 “terrorist” suspects from Sweden.

While Nato and the US have said they are “confident” Turkey’s opposition to Finland and Sweden will be overcome, Ilnur Cevik, a senior Turkish presidential advisor, said Ankara’s position was firm and it would be “very hard” to achieve the concessions Turkey sought.

“We have done a lot for Nato,” he said. “We have been stopping the Russians in Libya and Idlib [in northern Syria] and this also serves Western security. If we had not stopped Russia in Libya they would have taken over the country and the southern flank of Nato would have been in jeopardy.”

He continued: “How can we sit at the table as allies when these people are giving a free hand to the PKK in Sweden and Finland?”

Sweden and Finland recognise the PKK as a terrorist organisation, as do all Nato members. But while Turkey considers YPG, the Syrian Kurdish militia, a PKK affiliate, other members do not.

Turkey’s objections lie more with Stockholm than Helsinki, as Sweden’s 70,000-strong Kurdish population has a lobby that has made the country particularly pro-kurdish.

Magdalena Andersson became prime minister last year thanks to support from Amineh Kakabaveh, a far-left Riksdag member and Kurdish former child soldier from Iran, who has urged the government to take a pro-kurdish stance. It is likely that Mr Erdogan was referring to Ms Kakabaveh when criticising the alleged support of terrorism in parliament.

In December, Ann Linde, the Swedish foreign minister, met Ilham Ahmad, the co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the YPG’S umbrella organisation, and said afterwards that “Sweden remains [an] active partner”.

Syrian Kurdish authorities are now concerned that Sweden will sacrifice this relationship in order to placate Nato, even though Ms Kakabaveh has threatened to withdraw support to the government if it does so.

‘How can we sit at the table as allies when these people give a free hand to the PKK in Sweden and Finland?’