Turkey Warns Finland, Sweden Must 'Take Steps' Before NATO Approval

Turkey will not formally approve Finland and Sweden's membership in NATO until the two countries take the necessary "steps," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg on November 4. Ankara has accused the two Nordic nations of providing a safe haven for Kurdish militants it deems "terrorists" and held back on ratifying their NATO membership. Erdogan and Stoltenberg held a private meeting in Istanbul that was closed to the media. Afterward the Turkish presidency said Erdogan noted that the steps to be taken by Sweden and Finland would determine how fast the approval process would go. To read the original story from AFP, click here.