Erdogan warns Turkey may still block Nordic Nato drive

MADRID: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday told Sweden and Finland that he could still block their drives to join Nato if they fail to implement a new accession deal with Ankara.

Erdogan issued his blunt warning at the end of a Nato summit at which the US-led alliance formally invited the Nordic countries to join the 30-nation bloc. The two nations dropped their history of military non-alignment and announced plans to join Nato in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Their bids were headed for swift approval until Erdogan voiced concerns in May. He accused the two of providing a haven for outlawed Kurdish militants and promoting "terrorism".

Erdogan also demanded they lift arms embargoes imposed in response to Turkey’s 2019 military incursion into Syria. A 10-point memorandum signed by the three sides on the sidelines of the Nato summit on Tuesday appeared to address many of Erdogan’s concerns.