AIRLINK 217.98 Decreased By ▼ -4.91 (-2.2%)
BOP 10.93 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.02%)
CNERGY 7.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.13%)
FCCL 34.83 Decreased By ▼ -2.24 (-6.04%)
FFL 19.32 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.42%)
FLYNG 25.15 Decreased By ▼ -1.89 (-6.99%)
HUBC 131.09 Decreased By ▼ -1.55 (-1.17%)
HUMNL 14.56 Decreased By ▼ -0.17 (-1.15%)
KEL 5.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-4.07%)
KOSM 7.36 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-1.6%)
MLCF 45.63 Decreased By ▼ -2.55 (-5.29%)
OGDC 222.08 Decreased By ▼ -1.18 (-0.53%)
PACE 8.16 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.24%)
PAEL 44.19 Increased By ▲ 0.69 (1.59%)
PIAHCLA 17.69 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-2.05%)
PIBTL 8.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.1%)
POWERPS 12.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.50 (-3.84%)
PPL 193.01 Decreased By ▼ -5.23 (-2.64%)
PRL 43.17 Increased By ▲ 0.93 (2.2%)
PTC 26.63 Decreased By ▼ -0.76 (-2.77%)
SEARL 107.08 Decreased By ▼ -3.00 (-2.73%)
SILK 1.04 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.89%)
SSGC 45.00 Decreased By ▼ -2.30 (-4.86%)
SYM 21.19 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (2.02%)
TELE 10.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-3.52%)
TPLP 14.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-2.94%)
TRG 67.28 Decreased By ▼ -1.57 (-2.28%)
WAVESAPP 11.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.63 (-5.29%)
WTL 1.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-5.03%)
YOUW 4.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-2.3%)
BR100 12,397 Increased By 33.3 (0.27%)
BR30 37,347 Decreased By -871.2 (-2.28%)
KSE100 117,587 Increased By 467.3 (0.4%)
KSE30 37,065 Increased By 128 (0.35%)

HELSINKI: Security concerns raised by Turkey in its opposition to Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership applications are legitimate, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday during a visit to Finland.

“These are legitimate concerns. This is about terrorism, it’s about weapons exports,” Stoltenberg told a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto while visiting him at his summer residence in Naantali, Finland.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western defence alliance last month, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But they have faced opposition from Turkey, which has accused them of supporting and harbouring Kurdish militants and other groups it deems terrorists.

Stoltenberg said Turkey was a key ally for the alliance due to its strategic location on the Black Sea between Europe and the Middle East, and cited the support it has provided to Ukraine since Russia sent troops into its neighbour on Feb. 24. Moscow calls its actions a “special military operation”.

Nine European countries urge NATO to beef up eastern flank

“We have to remember and understand that no NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkiye,” Stoltenberg said, using the Turkish pronunciation of the country’s name, as preferred by Turkey and its President Tayyip Erdogan.

Stoltenberg and Niinisto said talks with Turkey would continue but gave no indication of progress in the negotiations.

“The summit in Madrid was never a deadline,” Stoltenberg said, referring to a NATO meeting in Madrid at the end of June.

Comments

Comments are closed.