ANKARA, Jan 14 Stockholm Fulfillment of Membership Commitments to Ankara NATO could take months, said Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
«Time is running out to endorse Sweden and Finland's aspirations to join NATO before Turkey's May elections. Turkey's approval of the country's proposals depends on Stockholm's speedy implementation of its anti-terrorism commitments made in within the framework of an agreement with Ankara, which may take several months,» Kalın was quoted as saying by A Haber TV channel.
According to him, Stockholm is fully committed to the implementation of the agreement signed in Madrid last year, but the judiciary needs «another six months to apply new definitions of terrorism.»
«The Swedish government should send a clear signal to terrorist organizations that Sweden is no longer a safe haven for them, that they cannot raise money, recruit members or engage in other activities,» Erdogan's spokesman said.
Earlier, a rally of PKK supporters took place in Stockholm, where they made a number of insulting statements and gestures against the current President of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan. The source said that the Swedish ambassador in Ankara was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and a protest was expressed to him in connection with the action. Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Mustafa Sentop, in turn, canceled the previously planned visit of his Swedish colleague to Ankara. The Turkish president's lawyer filed an application with the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office in connection with the action, and a criminal case was initiated.
Finland and Sweden, against the backdrop of the events in Ukraine, on May 18, 2022, submitted applications to NATO Secretary General to join the alliance. At the moment, the applications of Sweden and Finland to NATO have not been ratified by only two countries out of 30 — Hungary and Turkey.