NATO should “risk a conflict” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his stance on joining the Swedish-Finnish alliance, Der Spiegel journalist Maximilian Popp said.
According to him, the Turkish president is blocking the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, as he is trying to get something in exchange for his consent.
“NATO must not allow the alliance to become a blackmailing site. It is better to risk a conflict with Erdogan,” writes Popp.
He noted that Erdogan fears defeat in the elections due to the economic crisis in the country, so it can be expected that he will become “even more arrogant” in relations with the West.
Earlier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said that Ankara would not support the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO if these countries did not demonstrate “solidarity with Turkey on fundamental issues, especially in the fight against terrorism.”
