Turkish president Erdogan says he might approve Finland’s NATO bid before Sweden’s

Turkey’s president has suggested his country could approve Finland’s application for NATO membership before taking any action on Sweden, while the Turkish government has issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it calls Islamophobia.

The travel warning issued last Saturday follows last weekend’s demonstrations outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden, where anti-Islam activists burned Qurans and pro-Kurdish groups protested against Turkey. The event led to Turkey’s refusal so far to ratify Sweden’s NATO offer.

Sweden and Finland joined as members of a military alliance, breaking long-standing military nonalignment following Russia’s war in Ukraine. In a pre-recorded video of the event released on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey can only enter Finland.

“If necessary, we can give a different message about Finland. Sweden will be surprised when we give a different message about Finland,” Erdogan told a group of young people in Bilecik province.

Turkey has accused the government in Stockholm of indifference to groups it considers to be terror organizations or an existential threat, including Kurdish groups. NATO needs unanimous approval from existing members to add new ones, but Erdogan’s government has said it will only agree to recognize Sweden if the country meets the conditions.

Turkey presents Sweden with extradition order list

In a travel warning for citizens, Turkey’s foreign ministry cited an increase in anti-Turkish protests by “groups linked to terror groups,” a reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency. Turkey. Along with Turkey, the European Union and the United States have also designated the PKK as a terrorist group.

Pro-Kurdish groups have waved the flag of the PKK and its affiliates as protests in Sweden have been organized in response to Sweden and Finland’s pledge to curb PKK activities in their countries in order to gain Turkey’s approval for NATO membership.

WATCH | Sweden, Finland await NATO approval:

Erdogan said to the prime minister of Sweden, “You will extradite these terrorists if you really want to join NATO. If you don’t extradite these terrorists, then sorry.” He said Turkey had provided Sweden with a list of 120 people it wanted extradited, a request that was part of a memorandum signed in June that prevented Turkey from vetoing a joint application by the Nordic countries.

Turkey has demanded the extradition of suspected PKK militants as well as some followers of Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric accused of attempting a 2016 coup. angry.

Turkey also strongly condemned right-wing activist Rasmus Paludan’s burning of the Quran last weekend in Stockholm, which was repeated in Copenhagen on Friday. Ankara summoned the Dutch ambassador after another far-right activist tore up pages of the Quran in The Hague.

Nordic countries update Turkey travel advice

After last week’s protests, Erdogan warned Sweden not to expect support for its membership bid for a military alliance. Turkey also postponed an important meeting in Brussels that will discuss the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland.

Turkey’s foreign ministry has urged its citizens to exercise caution and stay away from demonstration areas in Europe. It also says to go to local authorities if you face xenophobic or racist attacks.

In a separate advisory, the ministry also urged Turkish citizens to be vigilant in the United States in case of protests in response to the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols, an unarmed black man.

Earlier on Saturday, before Turkey issued a travel warning, the Nordic countries separately issued updated travel guidelines for Turkey. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have urged their citizens visiting Turkey to avoid large gatherings and to exercise caution.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a message on its website that the Swedish embassy in Ankara remains closed to the public and that visitors to the country’s consulate general in Istanbul are “requested to exercise caution.”

“We want to make the Swedes in Turkey aware that further manifestations are possible,” the Swedish ministry said, referring to counter-protests that erupted in Turkey after the weekend’s events in Stockholm.