On Tuesday the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, during a press conference in Hungary, said that “If the two countries (Sweden and Finland) want to follow a separate procedure, we said that we look at Finland more positively.” Last week the Finish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, indicated that his country would consider joining NATO without their western neighbor. But on Monday the Foreign Minister backtracked and said his nation was still seeking a synchronized accession and can wait while Turkey and Sweden resolve their differences. Cavusoglu also said that “The PKK and FETO have an intense presence, especially in Sweden. Fundraising, financing of terrorism, recruitment, propaganda activities continue.” He went on to reiterate that the two Nordic nations (primarily Sweden) must resolve this concern for Turkey to approve their ascension to the military alliance. He also complained that Sweden tolerates Islamophobia by allowing the Koran to be burned during protests.
