Sweden’s NATO Bid in Doubt After Erdogan Refuses Support

(Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out supporting Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, venting anger following a burning of

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Reversal “If you cannot show this respect, then sorry but you will not see any support from us on the NATO issue,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara Monday, without

indicating whether or not that meant the door for negotiation was now closed. “Those who promote and turn a blind eye to this perversion have undoubtedly taken into account

its consequences,” he said.  Turkey Cancels Swedish Minister Visit in Fresh Koran Tension Erdogan’s comments render Sweden and neighboring Finland’s efforts to join

NATO a more distant prospect, given the approval of Turkey’s parliament is required for the move to go ahead. All but two of NATO’s 30 members have ratified the Nordic

applications, and Hungary has said it plans to do so at the opening of parliament next month. That would leave Turkey as the lone holdout to the expansion, which NATO diplomats

had hoped to finalize in time for the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July.