Washington says Sweden and Finland "are ready" to join NATO

MADRID, 24 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The United States has indicated on Monday that Finland and Sweden are ready to join the NATO alliance, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued that Stockholm should not expect his country's support for membership due to the recent burning of Korans during a demonstration in the Swedish capital.

"Finland and Sweden are ready to join the Alliance. They are ready because of their military capabilities and because of the long security partnership that we have had (...) for decades," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price. , who has stressed that "they are highly developed democracies".

Price has pointed out, on the other hand, that "burning sacred books for many is a deeply disrespectful act", adding that "something can be legal - for freedom of association and expression - but horrible."

"We are also aware that those behind what happened in Sweden may be making a deliberate effort to try to weaken unity across the Atlantic and between our European allies and partners," the state spokesman lamented.

In this sense, Price has indicated that, although Helsinki and Stockholm are prepared to join NATO, "ultimately, it is a decision and a consensus" of these countries with Ankara.

Erdogan warned Sweden that it should not "expect" Turkish support today for its entry into the Atlantic Alliance: "If respect is not shown, I'm sorry but there will be no support from us on the NATO issue," stated.

The burning of the Koran during a protest last week has added to a series of grievances that, in the eyes of Ankara, are inadmissible. The Turkish government had already protested the destruction of an Erdogan effigy at another previous rally, which has left NATO enlargement at a standstill.

Sweden and Finland depend on the approval of the 30 member states of the Atlantic Alliance to join, but for now they only have the approval of 28 -- in addition to Turkey, Hungary is also missing to complete the procedures. The Turkish authorities have demanded from those of the Nordic countries more commitments in the persecution of Kurdish groups classified as terrorists by Ankara.