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Finland’s top diplomat appeared to suggest Finland might have to join NATO without Sweden after the Turkish president expressed doubts about expanding the military alliance.
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Finnish broadcaster YLE: “If it turns out that applications from Sweden are stalled for a long time to come, we will still have to assess the situation.”
His comments came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden not to count on backing its NATO membership following weekend protests by anti-Islam activists and pro-Kurdish groups in Stockholm Published.
The historic joining of Sweden and Finland to the alliance requires the approval of all existing NATO members, including Turkey, which has so far blocked the expansion, saying Sweden is particularly needed to fight exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.
Sweden and Finland have so far been committed to joining the alliance together, but Mr Haavisto’s comments appear to suggest Finland is considering moving forward without its Nordic neighbours.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told YLE that “we are contacting Finland to find out what it really means”.
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