The head of the Turkish parliament’s National Defence Committee has received Sweden’s ambassador to the country, following the postponement of a protocol for Stockholm’s NATO accession bid in the parliament.
”We don’t oppose Sweden’s NATO membership, but we have to protect the rights and interests of our country, ensure the security of our country,” Hulusi Akar, who has served as chief of General Staff for the Turkish military and national defence minister, told Malena Mard on Thursday.
Underlining that Türkiye would not allow Sweden to join NATO until it fulfils the terms of a 2022 agreement to address Ankara’s security concerns, Akar said: ”There were some terrorist activities such as burnings of the Quran (in Sweden). Preventing these, fulfilling the commitments there, and (lifting) restrictions on export licenses. These are the essence of the memorandum.” Läs artikel