Ankara (BLAZETRENDS) .
Before leaving for Vilnius, to participate in the NATO leaders’ summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Turkish president said: “Open the way for Turkey in the EU. Just as we paved the way for Finland, let’s pave the way for Sweden.”
“We are Türkiye. I will express this in our meetings on the sidelines of the (NATO) summit,” Erdogan told reporters.
Turkey has been negotiating with the EU for decades on a rapprochement and eventual entry into the community bloc, although the talks have been suspended for several years.
While Erdogan today linked his own EU entry to the Sweden issue, he criticized the US for doing the same thing with the sale of fighter jets to Turkey.
There was a payment we made for F-35s. It saddens me that this was now related to Sweden,” the Turkish president said.
“This afternoon I will have a meeting with the president (of the US, Joe Biden) and with the prime minister of Sweden (Ulf Kristersson).
We want promises to be kept. Turkey is doing its part as the largest contributor to NATO operations,” added the Turkish president.
“The final decision is in Parliament. It is not possible to take a step here unless the Turkish Parliament makes this decision (on Sweden’s entry into NATO),” Erdogan added.
Turkey blocks Sweden’s entry into NATO, alleging that the Scandinavian country is not doing enough against the activities in its territory by the Kurdish PKK guerrilla, considered a terrorist by the EU, the US and Turkey.