ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his threat on Monday to "freeze" Sweden's and Finland's NATO membership applications if the military alliance does not meet Ankara's demands.
Erdogan urged the two nations to "play their part" in the battle against terrorism at the NATO summit held in Madrid at the end of June and accused them of acting as a safe haven for outlawed Kurdish terrorists.
Erdogan warned reporters on Monday, the day before a trilateral conference with Russia and Iran, "We will freeze the process if these nations do not take the required steps to satisfy our demands."
The Turkish leader continued, "We note in particular that Sweden does not have a good reputation on this topic."
After an agreement was reached with Turkey, which had previously prevented the Nordic countries from joining, NATO started the accession processes for Sweden and Finland earlier this month.
Erdogan has accused both nations of supporting "terrorism" and serving as safe havens for Kurdish militants, highlighting in particular the PKK, an illegal organisation he has worked to suppress.
When asked about Erdogan's comments in Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price did not immediately answer but instead cited Turkey's approval of the Nordic countries' NATO membership during the NATO summit.
Price informed reporters that a trilateral memorandum was signed in Madrid by Turkey, Finland, and Sweden to start the process.
In order to ensure that the ratification process is as quick and effective as it can be both locally and globally, he said, "the United States will continue to work with those three countries."
Erdogan is scheduled to fly to Tehran on Monday night for discussions with Iranian President Ebrahim Raissi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, during which he expects to obtain approval for Turkish armed action in northwest Syria.
Since late May, Ankara has threatened to start an operation to establish a 30-kilometer (19-mile) "security zone" along its border with Syria in order to combat Kurdish fighters waging an insurgency against the Turkish government.
Moscow and Tehran have already voiced their objections to such a campaign.
The violence that has destroyed Syria since 2011 is mostly fueled by Russia, Turkey, and Iran, with Moscow and Tehran supporting Bashar al-government Assad's and Ankara aiding rebels.
