Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 'terrorists' to Turkey before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Tayyip Erdogan said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a ceremony to mark an increase in capacity at a natural gas storage facility in Silivri near Istanbul, Turkey, December 16, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but all 30 member states must approve their bids. "We said look, so if you don't hand over your terrorists to us, we can't pass it through the parliament anyway," Erdogan said in comments late on Sunday, referring to a joint press conference he held with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last November.
Sweden and Finland signed a three-way agreement with Turkey in June 2022 aimed at overcoming Turkey's objections.
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