Turkiye would not greenlight NATO membership for countries that impose sanctions on it, said the nation’s president on Monday, News.az reports citing Anadolu.

"We would not say yes to those who impose sanctions on Turkiye joining NATO," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune in the capital Ankara.

A NATO member for 70 years, Turkiye, like all its fellow members, must approve of any new countries joining the alliance.

Erdogan also criticized Finland and Sweden as lacking a clear stance against terrorist groups.