United States President Joe Biden has expressed his country's support of Finland and Sweden joining NATO after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday reiterated his sudden opposition to the expansion of the Western alliance.
In recent days, Erdogan had suggested that he would cause trouble for Stockholm and Helsinki, the capitals of Sweden and Finland, respectively, if they continued their plans to join the 30-member alliance. However, the official's comments on Thursday detailed a more definite conclusion to the European nations bolstering their security defenses through NATO.
Turkey's Opposition to NATO Expansion
In a video posted on Twitter, Erdogan spoke to a group of young Turks and accused Finland and Sweden of being a "home to terror[ists]," a comment that highlighted his displeasure at the two Nordic nations' refusal to extradite individuals that Turkey has considered "terrorists."
In a translated statement, the Turkish president said that NATO, as a security organization, cannot accept the presence of terrorist organizations within its ranks. Erdogan not only accused the two European countries but also top nations like the U.S. of turning a blind eye to "harassment" that it claims to have endured from members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as per Fox News.
The PKK is a group that has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the European Union, and Turkey. However, the group's relation to affiliate members who are fighting ISIS in Syria under the People's Protection Forces (YPG) has strained geopolitical ties,
The situation comes as Biden welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niisnito to the White House on Thursday. The three international leaders called for swift acceptance of the applications despite Erdogan's opposition.
According to ABC News, Biden said that the bottom line of the procedure was simple and quite straightforward. The Democrats noted that the inclusion of Finland and Sweden would make the NATO alliance even stronger not just because of their capacity but also due to their strong democracies. He noted that a strong NATO is the foundation of America's security internationally.
Finland, Sweden's NATO Applications
The two Nordic nations have formally submitted their applications on Wednesday amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine. As the war enters its fourth month, the decision to join the alliance has received strong support from the public and backing from their respective governments.
Biden said that Finland and Sweden had his administration's "complete backing" during talks with the two countries' leaders. On Thursday, the U.S. federal government will submit reports on accession to Congress so that lawmakers can begin moving to "efficiently and quickly" consent to the expansion of the Western military alliance.
Turkey's opposition to the decision comes after Erdogan said that his administration continued with its plans to say no to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The alliance's expansion suggests a major setback for Moscow as its aggressive actions have ignited the kind of enlargement of NATO that it attacked Ukraine for in the first place. However, accession into the alliance requires approval from all member states, which Erdogan now hinders, CNN reported.
Related Article: Hundreds of Ukrainian Troops in Azovstal Plant Surrender to Uncertain Fate as Battle in Mariupol Nears End
