Finland, Sweden should not support PKK/YPG terrorist group: Turkiye

ANKARA

Finland and Sweden should stop supporting the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, Turkiye's foreign minister said on Saturday as the two Scandinavian countries mull entering NATO.

In a doorstep statement ahead of an informal NATO foreign ministers' meeting, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkiye has always backed NATO's open-door policy.

However, Cavusoglu said Sweden and Finland were "openly supporting and are engaging with PKK/YPG terrorist organization" which has been "attacking Turkiye and killing Turkish troops and people."

"Therefore, it is unacceptable and outrageous that our friends and allies are supporting this terrorist organization. And because of our fight against this terrorist organization, there have been export restrictions on the defense industry products that we are importing from allies and some countries that are planning to be a member of NATO," he said.

"And that's why the big majority of the Turkish people are against the membership of those countries who are supporting the PKK/YPG terrorist organization and they're asking us to block this membership. But, these are the issues that we need to talk about with our NATO allies, as well as these countries," he added.