Turkey’s Erdogan tells Swedish PM: terror groups should not block ties, NATO bid

Sweden and fellow Nordic country Finland launched their bids to join NATO in May in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but they ran into objections from Turkey.

By Reuters October 26, 2022
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Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan attends a news conference during the Informal EU 27 Summit and Meeting within the European Political Community at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic on October 6, 2022. (Leonhard Foeger / Reuters File Photo)

ANKARA — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a phone call on Wednesday that he saw mutual interest in preventing terrorist organizations from hijacking Sweden’s NATO membership bid and bilateral relations.

Sweden and fellow Nordic country Finland launched their bids to join NATO in May in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but they ran into objections from Turkey.

Ankara accuses them of harboring people it deems terrorists, namely Kurdish militants and those accused of involvement in a 2016 coup attempt.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay.