We are 100% behind Finnish, Swedish NATO membership, Norway tells Turkey!!! Anniken Huitfeld

“We don’t know what Turkey really means but from (the) Norwegian perspective, we are 100% behind Finland and Sweden if they decide to apply for membership in NATO,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeld said as she arrived for a meeting with her NATO counterparts in Berlin.

“This will also strengthen the Nordic cooperation because we chose differently after World War Two, so I think that this is a historic moment right now,” she added.

Sweden and Finland proposed to work with Turkey on the "security guarantees" that Ankara has demanded over their plans to join NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

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Turkey has been supporting the open-door policy of NATO, but Finland and Sweden's membership bid raises security concerns for Ankara, Cavusoglu told Turkish reporters in Berlin after a NATO meeting.

Countries that "come in contact with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) must abandon their stance," state-run TRT broadcaster quoted the minister as saying.

These countries also impose export restrictions on Turkey in the defense industry, he said, adding that export bans should be lifted if they seek membership in NATO.

Cavusoglu had a tripartite meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde and Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto in Berlin on Saturday on the sidelines of the NATO meeting.

Finland and Sweden came up with a proposal at the meeting to conduct a joint work for addressing Turkey's objections, he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey does not have a favorable opinion on the idea of Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

As a NATO member, Turkey can veto a country's admission to the military alliance.

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Turkey’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Sweden and Finland must stop supporting terrorist groups in their countries, provide clear security guarantees and lift export bans on Turkey as they seek membership in NATO.

Speaking after a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin, Mevlut Cavusoglu said he met his Swedish and Finnish counterparts and all were seeking to address Turkey’s concerns.

He added that Turkey was not threatening anybody or seeking leverage but speaking out especially about Sweden’s support for the PKK Kurdish militant group, deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Finland confirmed on Sunday that it would apply for NATO membership and Sweden is expected to follow suit, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However Turkey’s concerns may pose an obstacle, as any decision on NATO enlargement requires unanimous approval by all 30 member states.

“There absolutely needs to be security guarantees here. They need to stop supporting terrorist organizations,” Cavusoglu told Turkish reporters in Berlin. He added that Swedish and Finnish bans on exporting of some of their defense sector goods to Turkey must end.

“Our stance is perfectly open and clear. This is not a threat, this is not a negotiation where we’re trying to leverage our interests,” he said.

“This is not populism either. This is clearly about two potential member states’ support for terrorism, and our solid observations about it, this is what we shared.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan surprised NATO allies and the Nordic countries on Friday when he said Turkey could not support the enlargement plans given they were “home to many terrorist organizations,” but his spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday that Turkey had not shut the door.

Cavusoglu repeated that Turkey, which joined NATO 70 years ago, does not oppose its open door policy.

He said the talks with Swedish and Finnish counterparts were good and that they made suggestions to alleviate Ankara’s legitimate concerns, which Turkey would consider. He said he provided them proof of terrorists living in their states.

Cavusoglu again singled out Sweden as disrespecting Turkey’s position and said PKK terrorist meetings took place in Stockholm over the weekend.