Finland says talks with Türkiye over NATO bid to continue on Monday

STOCKHOLM

Talks between Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland will continue on Monday, Finnish President’s Office announced on Sunday.

Hosted by the NATO Secretariat, official discussions among Finland, Sweden, and Türkiye will continue on Monday in Brussels, the presidency said on Twitter.

Sweden and Finland, amid their NATO bids, are under pressure from Türkiye to end their support for the PKK/YPG terror group, with Ankara saying the bloc is a security alliance and that any potential members must take a clear stance against terrorism.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK terror group's Syrian offshoot.

On Saturday, Türkiye's presidential spokesperson said that if the Swedish government does not take steps to end the PKK terror group's actions within their countries, the negotiations are unlikely to progress for Sweden's NATO membership process. Ibrahim Kalin, after a conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, told the press that the projection of images belonging to the terrorist organization YPG/PKK on buildings in Stockholm is one of the most striking examples of the extent that the PKK is deployed in this country and how spoiled it is.

Kalin and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal on Sunday are set to work on Sweden's and Finland's applications for NATO membership in Brussels.