Erdogan says Turkey positive on Finland's NATO bid, not Sweden's - Reuters

ANKARA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Turkey looks positively connected Finland's exertion for NATO membership, but does not enactment Sweden's bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said connected Wednesday.

"Our presumption connected Finland is positive, but it is not affirmative connected Sweden," Erdogan said of their NATO applications successful a code to his AK Party deputies successful parliament.

Sweden and Finland applied past twelvemonth to articulation the trans-Atlantic defence pact aft Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and person since sought to triumph its support.

Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm successful peculiar to instrumentality a tougher enactment against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a panic radical by Turkey and the European Union, and different radical it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.

The 3 nations reached an statement connected a mode guardant successful Madrid past June, but Ankara suspended talks past period arsenic tensions roseate pursuing protests successful Stockholm successful which a far-right Danish person burned a transcript of the Muslim beatified book, the Koran.

"Sweden should not fuss to effort astatine this point. We volition not accidental 'yes' to their NATO exertion arsenic agelong arsenic they let burning of the Koran," Erdogan said.

Sweden's Foreign Minister said determination could beryllium nary compromise implicit state of speech, but that Sweden would proceed to instrumentality the Madrid agreement.

"It is precise wide what is indispensable for Sweden to go a subordinate of NATO and that is that we conscionable the requirements which are contiguous successful the trilateral agreement," helium told nationalist quality bureau TT.

"Religion is not portion of the agreement."

At the weekend, Erdogan signalled that Ankara could hold to Finland joining NATO up of Sweden. But Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said connected Monday his state was sticking to its program to use jointly with Sweden.

Of NATO's 30 members, lone Turkey and Hungary are yet to ratify the Nordic countries' memberships.

Asked whether Turkey had plans for abstracted processes for Finland and Sweden, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was NATO and the 2 Nordic countries who would determine connected immoderate abstracted ratifications.

"If NATO and the 2 countries determine for abstracted rank processes, Turkey volition of people reconsider Finland's rank separately and much favourably," Cavusoglu said astatine a quality league with his Estonian counterpart successful Tallinn.

Finland connected Wednesday repeated its presumption that it volition determination successful measurement with its Nordic neighbour.

"Finland continues to beforehand the rank process unneurotic with Sweden," the associated statesmanlike and authorities committee connected Finnish information and overseas argumentation said successful a statement.

"The fastest imaginable realisation of some countries memberships is successful the champion involvement of Finland, Sweden and the full NATO," it added.

Reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu and Ezgi Erkoyun; further reporting by Essi Lehto successful Helsinki and Simon Johnson successful Stockholm; Writing by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Ben Dangerfield and Bernadette Baum

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