The Turkish President has signalled he might support Finland’s accession process to the Western defence alliance NATO, while withholding approval for the membership of the country’s Nordic neighbour Sweden.
After decades of neutrality, Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance in 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
However, the ratification requires unanimous approval, and member Turkey has so far refused to agree, initially citing security concerns.
Ever since, diplomatic efforts have been under way to address Ankara’s fears.
Last week, Erdoğan said that Sweden could not count on his country’s support for accession after a right-wing extremist politician burned a Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.