His comment came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden not to wait for its candidacy to the NATO club following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups.
It was the first time a senior government official from either country appeared to have any hesitation about signing up to the alliance. Haavisto later backtracked and told reporters in parliament that his comment on Tuesday had been “inaccurate” and that Finland’s ambition to join NATO’s signature with Sweden remained unchanged.
TURKEY TO OPPOSE SWEDEN’S NATO MEMBERSHIP AFTER STOCKHOLM PROTEST SEES KORAN BURNED
He said he had spoken to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who in Haavisto said the army bloc would like to see the two Nordic nations combined simultaneously.
“But of course there have been considerations within NATO about how the (recent) incidents in Sweden will be scheduled,” Haavisto said.
Sweden and Finland’s offer to join NATO requires approval from all existing NATO members, adding that Turkey, which has so far blocked expansion, said Sweden in particular will have to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.
So far, Sweden and Finland have pledged to sign the alliance, but Haavisto’s comment to YLE has raised fears that Finland is contemplating continuing without its Nordic neighbor.
TURKEY SAYS SWEDISH DECISION NOT TO INVESTIGATE KURDISH PROTEST ‘ABSURD’
“We are in contact with Finland to find out what this really means,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström told The Associated Press. “Sweden respects the agreement between Sweden, Finland and Turkey regarding our NATO membership. We have done it “until now and will continue to do so. “
In a memorandum of understanding signed through the 3 countries at a NATO summit last year, Sweden and Finland pledged not to Kurdish militant teams and to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey after its incursion into northern Syria in 2019.
Pro-Kurdish and anti-Turkish protests in Stockholm confused the process. On Saturday, a Danish far-right activist held a protest outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, where he burned the Koran, Islam’s holy book. Another pro-Kurdish demonstration took place later on Saturday in the Swedish capital.
The Swedish government has tried to distance itself from the protests, while insisting that such demonstrations are allowed by the country’s freedom of expression.
Turkey responded angrily to the protests, canceling a plan to Ankara through Sweden’s defense minister. The protests took a stand in front of Swedish diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul.
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Erdogan criticized the Swedish government for allowing the burning of the Koran.
“It is transparent that those who allowed such infamy to occur in front of our embassy can no longer expect any charity from us in relation to their application for NATO membership,” he said.
He also criticized the pro-Kurdish demonstration, accusing Sweden of allowing “terrorist organizations to become savages in its avenues and streets. “He said that if Sweden doesn’t show respect for Turkey or Muslims, then “they won’t see any of our NATO problems. “