ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thrown a spanner in the works of Sweden and Finland's historic decisions to seek NATO membership, declaring that he cannot allow them to join due to their alleged support of Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara says threaten its national security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has voiced confidence that the alliance will move to admit Sweden and Finland swiftly. But Erdogan's declaration suggests that the two Nordic countries' path to membership could be anything but smooth.
Turkey's approval is crucial because the military alliance makes its decisions by consensus. Any of its 30 member countries can veto a new member.
Erdogan's government is expected to use the two countries' membership bids as leverage for concessions and guarantees from its allies.
Here's a look at Turkey's position, what it could gain and likely repercussions:
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WHAT'S TURKEY'S PROBLEM WITH THE MEMBERSHIP BIDS?
Turkey, which has NATO's second largest army, has traditionally been supportive of NATO enlargement, believing that the alliance's “open door” policy enhances European security. It has for example, spoken in favor of the prospect of Ukraine and Georgia joining.
Erdogan's objection to Sweden and Finland stems from Turkish grievances with Stockholm's — and to a lesser degree Helsinki's — perceived support of the banned Kurdistan…
