NATO membership: Turkey's demands complicate Finnish, Swedish bid • FRANCE 24 English

"We cannot trust any more that there will be a peaceful future next to Russia on our own. That's why we're making the decision to join NATO", Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said. Our International Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert tells us more.
#Finland #Sweden #NATO

[Bareh]

Ankara understood the security concerns of Sweden and Finland but also emphasized the security concerns of Turkey should be met too Sweden and Finland support for PKK terrorist is unacceptable and outrageous

[samuelreddy]

The title is wrong. Turkey demands doesn't complicate Finnish, Swedish bid. Their bid is a non-starter. You can't expect Turkey to commit to Finnish and Swedish security while Finland and Sweden have not been committing to the security of Turkey. NATO is a 2 way street. Finland and Sweden applied to the wrong alliance for membership. Don't blame Erdogan. Blame the leaders of Finland and Sweden.

[daveyhu]

While I don't approve of Erdogan at all and don't like to see him get anything he wants, it's more important to have Finland and Sweden join NATO ASAP. If Turkey (Erdogan and his regime really) have demands against the PKK, fulfill them after some skillful negotiating and move on. The Russian threat is far more important than messing around with a terrorist organization, as much as I would love to see Erdogan go.

[smyrnianlink]

If the two little Scandinavian countries love Stalinist terrorism so
much that they simply cannot give up supporting PKK in expense of being
humiliated by Turkey; why do they fear Russia at all?
I mean Russia is nothing more than Stalinist terror.
If they love PKK, they will adore the Russian army.

[SK-ltso]

Finland and Sweden for Turkey?!

I would make that trade in a heartbeat!

[valerydan]

Hey Finland, does it worth it to please US by joining NATO while loosing:
-Electricity supply from Russia
-Gas supply from Russia
-Loosing neutrality status and as a result Russian "Islander" missiles are already on the way to Finland border
-Loosing freight traffic passage through Saimaa Canal
-Loosing very generous Russian tourists
and many many more...
What do you get from NATO membership? Military bases with lots of army ammunition and as a result potential target for Russian rockets.
Stupidity doesn't have boundaries...

[aj]

In a matter of nordic countries having war with Russia, They will expect the 2nd largest NATO army (Türkiye) to help running to defend them, and they are not ready to stop supporting terrorist, I hate to spoil it, but be4 they don't do concrete steps towards the terrorist they won't enter NATO

[RT-yduz]

Turkey is in the end committed to help Russia. Not surprised about Erdogan behaviour.

[kavernikola]

I don't know why they discuss so much if in the end Sweden and Finland will enter NATO... Why? ... because they are European .... Simple! .... Those two countries, by default, carry more weight than an unstable Turkey ...

[sarwarhossain]

We are with turkey always we love turkey 🇹🇷🇧🇩❤️❤️❤️

[mzansishoo]

No terorist countries in NATO! No Sweden no Finland in NATO!

[larryparis]

The gentleman talking here does a great job - he's organized, has visual displays, and appears to know his stuff. Well done.

[timk]

Both punch way above their own weight. Approve!

[georgiossgk]

I have nothing against the Swedes but i take some satisfaction about Finland despite the fact that as a Greek i don't like Erdogan and his policies. Ten years ago during our debt crisis the Finns were demanding collaterals to approve the second economic adjustment program, among the things that they asked was the temple of Athena in Acropolis Athens aka Parthenon (they even priced it at 300 milion euros). Now they need something and another country comes with crazy demands for them. I would call that karma.

[samuelsedit]

I love listening to this guy, concise and informative

[netmannetman]

President Erdogan's opposition seems to be based on completely different things from those officially presented by Turkey. For how else to interpret that Turkey throughout the process until only days remained before Sweden and Finland submitted their official applications supported NATO membership for both countries. At the end of last week, President Niinistö revealed that in a conversation with Erdogan on April 4, he personally received the Turkish president's yes to a Finnish membership. - At the end of a fairly long discussion, Erdogan said that if you apply for NATO membership, we will look at it positively, Niinistö says in an interview with Ilta-Sanomat.

At the same time, Erdogan has denied that he intends to invade northern Syria again to create a broad buffer zone between the areas controlled by the Kurdish YPG and Turkey. But since Turkey then risks ending up in direct fighting with the Russian soldiers in the area, Erdogan must get some kind of green light from Putin. By arguing about NATO enlargement, he hopes to win plus points from Putin. At home, he must win an election to be held next year. Most opinion polls show that he risks losing. To show that he can force the United States and other NATO countries to make concessions, he hopes to increase voter support.

Bringing life to the fight against the terror-branded PKK, the main internal enemy, also goes home to the electorate and makes it easier to ban the pro-Kurdish party HDP. Sweden and Finland's NATO applications have ended up in the middle of a complex political game where the two countries do not have control over their own destiny even if they make concessions to Turkey. In the end, it is how far the United States is prepared to go to pressure Turkey that makes the decision. Given what Joe Biden has said so far, it is difficult to see that the United States would accept a continued Turkish veto against Sweden and Finland for any length of time.

[stax]

Lots of respect for the kurds. Bravo freedom fighters! The world is watching keep fighting!

[tsangarisjohn]

Never depend on Turkey! This seems to be the bottom line.

[saudiali]

NATO not help the mess, not stop the mess, adding the mess, and left the to nation Sweden and Finland using the war.

[CoinEngineer]

95% Turkey will decline it.

Finland and Sweden got no chance getting in Nato.