Turkey’s Erdogan still against Finnish, Swedish NATO bids

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president has told journalists he still intends to block Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said meetings this week with Finnish and Swedish delegations had not been “at the expected level,” noting there had been no steps taken to alleviate Turkey’s security concerns. Speaking to journalists on his plane following a visit to Azerbaijan, he said that “as long as Tayyip Erdogan is at the head of the Republic of Turkey, we cannot say ‘yes’ to countries that support terror joining NATO,” according to the daily Hurriyet newspaper. All NATO members must approve the two Nordic nations’ historic bid to join the alliance.