Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Sweden should not expect a change in Ankara's attitude towards its NATO membership bid unless it prevents anti-Turkey

protests in Stockholm. Erdogan made these remarks during talks with Swedish officials in Ankara on Wednesday. He emphasized that Turkey cannot support Sweden's NATO bid while "terrorists" are protesting in the Swedish capital. The issue of anti-Turkey protests has strained the relationship between the two countries, with Turkey accusing Sweden of harboring members of Kurdish militant groups it considers as terrorists.

Turkish objections have caused delays in Sweden's NATO membership bid, despite Finland's bid being ratified by Turkey in March. Hungary also shares Turkey's objections to Sweden's membership. Sweden maintains that it has fulfilled its commitments under the deal struck with Turkey in Madrid, including implementing a new anti-terrorism law. However, tensions were further heightened by a recent anti-Turkey and anti-NATO protest in Stockholm, where the flag of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was projected onto the parliament building.

Erdogan called on the Swedish police to exercise their legal and constitutional rights to prevent such protests. He conveyed this message to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, emphasizing that Sweden should take action to secure Turkey's approval for its NATO membership. Following a meeting with Erdogan, Stoltenberg expressed optimism that a deal on Sweden's NATO membership could be reached before the NATO summit in Vilnius next month. Photo by Peter Isotalo, Wikimedia commons.