Following up on the topic covered below
Nord news
Erdogan issued his straightforward warning at the end of a NATO summit in which the US-led alliance formally invited the Nordic countries to join the 30-nation bloc.
A 10-point memorandum signed by the three sides alongside the NATO summit on Tuesday seemed to address many of Erdogan’s concerns.
Nevertheless, Erdogan told reporters at an impromptu press conference held at the end of the summit that the memorandum did not mean that Turkey would automatically approve the two countries’ membership.
Applications from new countries must be approved by all members and ratified by their respective parliaments.
Erdogan warned that the future behavior of Sweden and Finland would determine whether he forwarded their application to the Turkish parliament.
“If they fulfill their duties, we will send it to Parliament. If they are not fulfilled, it is out of the question,” he said.
A high-ranking Turkish diplomat in Washington said the ratification process could come no earlier than the end of September and could wait until 2023, with parliament taking a break from Friday.
“This should be known: these signatures don’t mean the issue is done… Without our parliament’s approval, this does not go into effect. So there is no need to rush,” broadcaster NTV cited Erdogan as saying.
“The ball is in their court now. Sweden and Finland are not NATO members currently,” he added.
Asked about the extradition of suspects, Erdogan said if the Nordic countries did not send these individuals “then we will do what is necessary through our institutions and units.”