Erdogan: Finland, Sweden can join NATO if they consider Türkiye's stance

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the path of Finland and Sweden to NATO lies through taking into account Türkiye's position.

The Turkish leader made the remarks at a press conference at the airport before leaving for the NATO summit in Madrid, according to Anadolu Agency.

Türkiye's security concerns must be taken into account before Finland and Sweden can join NATO. There can be no other option, Erdogan was quoted as saying.

Erdogan recalled that Türkiye has been a NATO member for 70 years.

"We are not a random country in the Alliance. Each member country of the Alliance should start from the principle: 'A threat against one of the NATO countries is a common threat'," the Turkish leader stressed.

He said that following the results of the quadrilateral meeting (Türkiye, Sweden, Finland, NATO) in Madrid, it will become clear what the position of the Scandinavian countries is.

"We do not expect empty words, but concrete results," he said.