BAD BLOOD

Erdogan Blasts Sweden and Finland as ‘Terrorism-Supporting’ Countries Unworthy of NATO

The autocratic leader said the two harbored ”terrorists” linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party and thus cannot be allowed into the international alliance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this weekend derided Finland and Sweden as “terrorism-supporting” countries that he could not support allowing into NATO, Reuters reported. Speaking Saturday with reporters after a trip to Azerbaijan, Erdogan claimed the two Nordic countries harbored militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)—which has led a decades-long insurgency against Turkey—and cannot be trusted. “They are not honest or sincere,” the autocrat said. “We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past regarding countries that embrace and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organisation.” Sweden brushed off the remarks in a comment to Reuters: “Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We decline to comment further at this moment,” its foreign minister said in a statement.