NATO Expansion Opposed By Turkey And Hungary
January 19, 2023—NATO defense ministers met in Brussels yesterday, joined by their counterparts from Finland and Sweden, two countries eager to join the alliance. But to join NATO, Finland and Sweden need to win over all 30 NATO members, and that’s not so easy. Since May of 2022, Turkey and Hungary have opposed their membership bids of Finland and Sweden.
In Turkey’s case, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long complained that the two countries provide refuge for Kurdish terrorists. This week, he reiterated his call for Sweden and Finland to extradite more than 100 asylum seekers to Turkey.
“For this to pass the parliament, first of all, you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us,” Erdogan said.
A Finnish Free Speech Protest That Goes Too Far
The Swedish and Finnish governments refuse to give in to Turkey’s demands, and according to reporting in Euronews. Furthermore, tensions between their countries and Turkey are growing. Last week, anti-Turkish protesters in Stockholm put up an effigy of Erdogan, calling on him to resign “before he ends up hanged.” Finnish Speaker of Parliament Matti Vanhanen defended the protest saying, “We stress that in Finland and in Sweden we have freedom of expression. We cannot control it.”
While the image of the upside-down, dangling figure is too grotesque for this site to share, it is notable for its poor taste. Moverover, it’s easier still to see how it doesn’t help Finland’s case to join NATO.
Erdogan Doubles Down On Asylum Abuse
Erdogan’s latest comments follow a longer, more detailed rebuke of asylum policies in countries, including the United States. Speaking on January 10 to a conference in Ankara, Erdogan vented frustration about asylum policies that shelter terrorists.
“Bloody murderers, who mean to the right to life, which is the most basic human right, are protected under the pretext of political asylum seekers, and can lead their lives freely without being subjected to any legal investigation,” Erodogan said. “I would like to express with regret that some of the countries we are with under the roof of NATO, the Council of Europe or the UN have turned into shelters for bandits fleeing Turkish justice.”
Specifically, Erdogan complained that PKK terror group members are free to organize protests in the heart of Europe. He also noted that the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, Fetullah Gulen, “can continue to oversee his terrorist organization from his mansion in America.”
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