(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
Turkey echoed concerns over Swedish and Finnish countries'
support for terrorist groups during the meeting between Turkish
officials on Wednesday regarding Nordic countries' membership bids
to join NATO. According to the presidential spokesperson Ibrahim
Kalin's statement, Turkey also made clear that their NATO bid could
not progress until the security concerns are reassured, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah .
Noting that the PKK, the YPG, and the PYD are all same terrorist
groups, Turkey conveyed its expectations on this matter to the
delegations from Sweden and Finland, and Ibrahim Kalin told a news
conference following the closed-door consultative meeting that
lasted nearly five hours.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK
– listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States
and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at
least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The
YPG/PYD is PKK's Syrian offshoot.
'In the reports prepared on the PYD/YPG, we explained that the
organization committed war crimes. Therefore, we expressed that the
reports should not be hidden to acquit the PYD/YPG,' he said.
'We stated that if Turkey's security concerns are not met with
concrete steps, the process will not progress. The delegations
received our message. They will discuss our demands with their
leaders and they will respond to us,' he added.
Turkey expects the 'correct implementation' of the 1999 NATO
summit principles and procedures related to the alliance membership
process, Kalin also added.
He underlined that Ankara has been making extradition requests
to Sweden and Finland for the last 10 years. The security concerns
of the NATO members should be addressed in a 'just manner,' Kalin
stressed.
Kalın went on to say that NATO membership application by Sweden
and Finland coincides with an important 'turning point.'
'Turkey has a very serious role in NATO principles in 70 years
of NATO history. NATO is a security alliance, the countries that
will become members should address the member states' security
concerns.
'Therefore, the most fundamental issue of this alliance is to
meet the security concerns of its members equally and justly.
Turkey has made very serious contributions to this alliance.
Turkey's security concerns are related to the presence of terrorist
organizations, especially in European countries,' he said.
'We expect that concrete steps should be taken towards the
organizational and financial propaganda of the terrorist
organizations there,' he noted.
He also emphasized that Turkey observed a 'positive approach' by
Finland and Sweden in discussions about lifting the sanctions on
arms and defense industry products that the two countries had
imposed on Turkey.
'It is unacceptable that NATO allies impose sanctions on each
other,' Kalin said.
The Turkish delegation at the meeting was headed by Kalın and
Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal.
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