Sweden and Finland must stop supporting terrorist groups in their countries, provide unambiguous security guarantees, and lift export sanctions on Turkey, according to Turkey’s foreign minister on Sunday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said he spoke with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts after a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin, and that they were all trying to address Turkey’s concerns.

He stressed that Turkey was not threatening anyone or seeking leverage, but was speaking out in particular about Sweden’s backing for the PKK Kurdish militant group, which Turkey, the European Union, and the United States consider a terrorist organization.

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland stated on Sunday that it would apply for NATO membership, and Sweden is poised to follow suit. Turkey’s worries, on the other hand, could be a stumbling block, as any decision on NATO enlargement requires unanimous consent from all 30 member states.

“There must be security guarantees in this situation. They must abandon their backing for terrorist organizations “Cavusoglu spoke to Turkish journalists in Berlin. He also stated that the bans on some Swedish and Finnish defense industry goods being sent to Turkey must be lifted.

He said “Our stance is perfectly open and clear. This is not a threat, this is not a negotiation where we’re trying to leverage our interests,”

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