Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that he expects NATO allies to understand Turkey's sensitivities regarding its security.
Regarding Sweden and Finland's bid to join NATO, the Turkish president said that it is 'inconsistent' to seek Turkey's approval when they keep supporting PKK/YPG terrorists.
Speaking at the group meeting of his party, Erdoğan said that Sweden should not expect Turkey to approve their NATO bid without returning the terrorists before.
"Sweden would not extradite terrorists back to Turkey, but dares to ask for NATO membership," he said, adding that the delegations of the two countries "should not bother" coming to Turkey.
"NATO's enlargement is meaningful for Turkey as long as it respects our sensitivities", the Turkish President said.
"NATO is a security alliance, and Turkey will not agree to make it insecure."
He also made some remarks on the refugee issue, calling on NATO allies to support Turkish efforts to build a safe zone on the Syrian border.
"It is a historical responsibility to protect the rights of the oppressed and the victims," he stressed.
Turkey, a longstanding NATO member, has voiced objections to Finland and Sweden's membership bids, criticizing the two Nordic countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups like the YPG/PKK.
For any new member to join NATO, all the alliance's members must agree unanimously, including Turkey.
Over the last five years, both Sweden and Finland have failed to agree to Turkey's requests for the extradition of dozens of terrorists, including members of the PKK and FETO, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.
Last Friday, Erdoğan said that certain Scandinavian countries act like "guesthouses" for terrorist groups.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 were injured.
Senior representatives of Sweden and Finland are set to visit Turkey in the coming days to hold official talks in Ankara to discuss their NATO membership bids, spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.
