PARIS, June 26 (Reuters) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will take part in a series of talks with Swedish and Finnish leaders as well as NATO on Tuesday ahead of the alliance summit in Madrid, the alliance said on Sunday. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
Finland and Sweden asked to join NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey, a member of the alliance since 1952, opposes their integration on the grounds, in particular, that both countries are believed to harbor “terrorists” from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its YPG branch in Syria.
Speaking to the Haberturk TV channel, Ibrahim Kalin said he would take part in another round of talks with Swedish and Finnish delegations alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal in Brussels on Monday.
“There will be a four-man summit at leadership level with the presence of our president in Madrid at the request of the NATO secretary general,” he also said.
Ibrahim Kalin added, however, that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in the talks scheduled for Tuesday did not reflect a “backward” on Turkey’s part.
NATO leaders will meet in Madrid on June 29 and 30. Any membership in the alliance requires the approval of its 30 members.
(Report Ali Kucukgocmen, French version Benjamin Mallet)