Sweden to join NATO: Trittin condemns Turkish blockade

Green foreign policy expert Jürgen Trittin has sharply condemned Turkey's blocking of Sweden's accession to NATO.

Berlin - "Turkey's attitude of denial towards Sweden weakens NATO," he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (Wednesday edition). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "taking all other NATO partners hostage for his election campaign," said Trittin. "That's shabby behavior," but that doesn't come as a surprise, said the foreign policy spokesman for the Greens in the Bundestag.

Turkey is increasingly becoming a security risk for Europe and the transatlantic alliance. Turkey is not only blocking NATO expansion, but also breaking the arms embargo on Libya and exploring for gas in EU waters. After burning a Koran at a rally in Stockholm over the weekend, Erdogan wants to block Sweden's accession to NATO.

Source: Der Newsticker

Photo: NATO.