Sweden must stop the PKK terrorist organization from freely organizing protests in the country to get a green light on its NATO membership bid, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a call Sunday.

"Türkiye maintains its constructive stance regarding Sweden’s membership, but legislative amendments would be meaningless so long as PKK/YPG supporters organize demonstrations freely in that country," Erdoğan said.

Further, it was underlined that "the injustices faced within the context of the F-35s and attempts to associate Türkiye’s requests on F-16s with Sweden’s membership would harm NATO and its security rather than Türkiye."

Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.

But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary for NATO membership and continuing terror-affiliated and anti-Türkiye protests risk endangering Sweden’s NATO bid further.

Ankara ratified Finland’s membership in March, enabling it to become a full member of the defense alliance.

Ankara said Sweden must first take a more explicit stance against terrorists. Türkiye has frequently voiced that it does not oppose NATO expansion but criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that pose a security threat to Ankara.

Terrorist propaganda, as well as the burning of Islam’s holy book outside Türkiye’s Embassy in Stockholm in January, which sparked anger in the Islamic world, leading to weeks of protests, and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, have contributed to Sweden’s long-spun process.

Sweden has set its sights on joining at the alliance’s July 11-12 summit, and while it has strong support from other members, including the United States and more talks with Türkiye are expected, there have been few clear signs of a breakthrough.

The Russia-Ukraine war erupted in February last year, convincing Sweden and Finland to ditch long-held policies of military non-alignment. Both countries see NATO, with its collective defense clause, as the best way to ensure their security. The majority of NATO members quickly ratified the applications, arguing that Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden would strengthen the alliance in the Baltic.

Türkiye says Sweden harbors terrorist members and has demanded their extradition to ratify Swedish membership. Swedish courts have blocked some expulsions to Türkiye, while rallies by the terrorist groups irked Ankara. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has said the freedom to demonstrate is enshrined in the constitution, adding that "something legal is not always proper."

Billstrom has been busy meeting a host of NATO allies recently to ensure Stockholm’s membership bid remains top on the agenda, saying there is no "Plan B" beyond Sweden joining in Vilnius. Sweden has said its security position is better now than prior to its application to NATO, and it has received assurances of support from several countries, including the U.S., Britain and Germany.

Stoltenberg has said it would be inconceivable that the alliance would not support Sweden if threatened. Sweden already cooperates closely with NATO, and integration measures are moving forward. Sweden has a strong air force and a submarine fleet tailored to Baltic Sea conditions – a boost for NATO in the region.

Wagner crisis

On the other side, it was pointed out in the call that the end of internal tension in Russia "prevented the occurrence of irrevocable humanitarian tragedies in the Ukrainian field."

It was conveyed to Stoltenberg that Türkiye hopes recent developments in Russia will be "a new milestone in the path to a just peace in Ukraine."

The paramilitary Wagner group accused Russian forces on Friday of attacking its fighters, and the group subsequently crossed from Ukraine into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. In response, the Federal Security Service in Russia initiated a criminal case against Wagner for "armed rebellion." Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled Wagner’s uprising as an act of "treason."

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin later claimed his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were 200 kilometers from Moscow, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he held talks with the Wagner’s head with Putin’s accord, and Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation deal. Prigozhin has, in recent months, repeatedly accused the Russian Defense Ministry and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of not supplying sufficient arms to the paramilitary group.