Finland requests a “time-out” in contentious NATO negotiations with Turkey

• Finland’s and Sweden’s discussions with Turkey on joining NATO.
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has become enraged in recent days.
• Although both have promised to join at the same time, protests in Sweden are impeding proceedings.

Finland’s and Sweden’s discussions with Turkey on joining NATO require a “time-out,” according to Helsinki’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has become enraged in recent days at a number of contentious rallies that took place in Sweden, including the burning of a Quran.

Turkey may refuse membership applications because it is already a member of NATO. The demonstrations, according to Mr. Haavisto, had unmistakably “stopped the progress” of the negotiations.

The Swedish government’s decision to allow Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) politician Rasmus Paludan to publicly burn a copy of the Qur’an was described as “absolutely unacceptable” by Turkey.

The countries’ talks appear to be on pause until after the Turkish elections in mid-May due to a number of difficulties, including Turkey’s demands that the Nordic countries deport those it considers terrorists.

However, Mr. Haavisto claimed that all of the Nordic nations would join the union at once and that there was no reason to hurry the talks.

The diplomat’s remarks appear to be a retreat from a recent interview he gave to the Finnish television station Yle, in which he said that his country might think about joining the military alliance without Sweden after Mr. Erdogan stated that his nation would not support Sweden’s ambition.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Finland and Sweden announced their intention to join NATO out of concern for their safety and to abandon a decades-long non-alignment policy. Although both have promised to join at the same time, protests in Sweden are impeding proceedings.

Tuesday, Mr. Haavisto told the Reuters news agency that the group needed to take a “time-out” in order to assess how the “dust has settled after the current scenario.”

He continued, “I believe there will be a break for a few weeks.” However, Sweden’s Nato candidature has been hampered by more than simply protests there.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU, is another entity that Sweden is being urged to distance itself from by Turkey.

Other political concessions sought by Turkey include the expulsion of Mr. Erdogan’s detractors and Kurds whom it accuses of supporting terrorism.

On Monday, Mr. Erdogan announced that the Turkish elections had been moved up a month to May 14, further escalating tensions.

According to Mr. Haavisto, discussions in Turkey have become “heated” due to the “pressure” of the impending election. This suggests that the Turkish government may be adopting a harder line against Sweden’s support for the YPG and the protests, which have also seen an upside-down effigy of the president hung in an effort to win support.

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