Turkey has suggested backing Finland’s bid to join NATO while blocking Sweden, highlighting strained relations between Ankara and Stockholm after right-wing activists destroyed a Koran in the Swedish capital.
Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Monday that Turkey should evaluate applications for Sweden and Finland to join the western military alliance “separately”.
“I think it would be fair to distinguish between countries with problems and countries with less problems,” Çavuşoğlu said at a press conference in Ankara, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. His remarks came a day after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said “Sweden will be surprised when we respond differently to Finland”.
Relations between Sweden and Turkey have worsened in recent weeks since right-wing activists set fire to the Koran, Islam’s holy book, outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Stockholm’s decision to allow the protests sparked a backlash from Turkey and led to protests in several Muslim-majority countries. In a sign of rising tensions, the US warned Monday of the possibility of an “imminent” terrorist attack on churches, synagogues and diplomatic missions in Istanbul.
The US said in its second security alert in three days that Turkish authorities are “investigating” the potential for terrorist attacks in Istanbul, a city of 15 million people. The US consulate in Istanbul did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the nature of the threat or whether it thought a potential attack was imminent.
“The U.S. government is warning its citizens of the possibility of retaliatory terrorist attacks against churches, synagogues, and diplomatic missions in Istanbul or other places frequented by westerners, especially in the Beyoğlu, Galata, Taksim, and Istiklal areas,” the U.S. said. , referring to the part of Istanbul that is highly trafficked by western tourists.
Relations between Sweden and Turkey were faltering even before the Koran burning incident, with Ankara rejecting Stockholm’s offer to join NATO.
Turkey has confirmed that Sweden returned dozens of people it considers terrorists in return for Ankara’s support for Stockholm joining the western military alliance. Sweden has made some concessions but said this month it could do no more to persuade Turkey. “You have to extradite these terrorists so you can join NATO,” Erdoğan said, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey and Hungary are the two NATO members that have not yet ratified the membership of Sweden and Finland, which requires the support of the alliance’s 30 countries.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said on Monday that his office had contacted Erdoğan immediately after comments about the possibility of allowing Finland to not Sweden. “There is nothing to say at the moment, but I think there will be a statement in the future,” he told Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
Niinistö stressed that Finland is sticking to the line of wanting to join NATO with neighboring Sweden. He added that part of the benefit of Finland joining the defense alliance is that Sweden is a member at the same time. The Finnish president also noted that in times of crisis it would be easier to supply Finland through Sweden and Norway than the Baltic Sea.
Some Finnish foreign policy experts have asked Helsinki to go it alone if Turkey offers to simply ratify the application because Finland has the longest border with Russia of any European country at 1,300km. Others called on Finland’s leaders to remain calm as Turkey pressured Sweden. Finland will hold parliamentary elections in April and opinion polls suggest a change in government is likely.
Niinistö also said on Monday that he had a brief phone conversation with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg on the issue.