Erdogan told Anderson in a telephone conversation that “Sweden’s political and financial support, as well as its support for armed terrorist organizations, must be stopped,” the president’s office said.
Turkey has threatened to block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO, accusing both countries of supporting illegal Kurdish militants in Turkey.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, expressed strong support for Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO on Thursday, while their leaders promised to allay Turkey’s concerns.
Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of “supporting terrorism” by sympathizing with the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey, and the Kurdish militia, the Syrian People’s Defense Forces (YPG).
Among others, the United States is actively cooperating with the YPG in Syria, which is considered one of the closest allies in the fight against the Islamic State.
In response to a military operation in Syria in 2019 by Ankara against YPG, Sweden and Finland, along with other countries, including Germany, imposed restrictions on arms exports to Turkey.
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