Time running out to ratify Sweden, Finland Nato bids, says Erdogan aide

Turkey is running out of time to ratify Nato membership bids by Sweden and Finland before it holds elections expected in May, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesperson said on Saturday.

Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish ratification of the countries' bids depended on how quickly Stockholm fulfils counter-terrorism promises made as part of a deal with Ankara, warning that could take months.

“Stockholm is fully committed to implementing the agreement that was signed last year in Madrid, but the country needs six more months to write new laws that would allow the judicial system to implement the new definitions of terrorism,” Kalin said.

With Finland, Sweden signed an agreement with Turkey last year aimed at overcoming Ankara's objections to their Nato bids, which were made in May last year and require the approval of all 30 Nato member states. Both applied to join Nato after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ankara has said Sweden needed to take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and the organisation it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.