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NATO dispute over Sweden and Finland: Turkey threatens to block accession for "up to a year"

2022-06-14T14:45:18.938Z


NATO dispute over Sweden and Finland: Turkey threatens to block accession for "up to a year" Created: 06/14/2022, 16:31 By: Linus Prien, Bettina Menzel, Bedrettin Bölükbasi Is there an agreement in the NATO dispute? The parties to the conflict: Turkey on the one hand and the remaining NATO countries on the other. And: Finland and Sweden. The news ticker. Turkey is not giving up on the NATO dis


NATO dispute over Sweden and Finland: Turkey threatens to block accession for "up to a year"

Created: 06/14/2022, 16:31

By: Linus Prien, Bettina Menzel, Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Is there an agreement in the NATO dispute?

The parties to the conflict: Turkey on the one hand and the remaining NATO countries on the other.

And: Finland and Sweden.

The news ticker.

  • Turkey

    is not giving up on the

    NATO dispute

    : Ankara has reiterated its demands on the Scandinavian countries.

  • Stoltenberg

    optimistic about

    Turkey

    : The NATO Secretary General is confident and will travel to Finland and Sweden for talks on Sunday.

  • Expert

    warns of a

    "victory" for Putin

    : Heusgen warns that Turkey's stance against Finland and Sweden joining NATO could make Putin triumphant.

  • This news ticker has ended.

    All information in the current

    news ticker on the planned NATO accession of Finland and Sweden

    .

Update from June 11, 4:15 p.m .:

In the dispute over Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Turkey, a member of NATO, is threatening to block the Scandinavian countries’ accession for up to a year if no satisfactory guarantees are given.

"It is a matter of vital national interest and if necessary we stand ready to prevent their membership for up to a year," Akif Cagatay Kilic, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament and MP for the ruling AKP party, told the British newspaper

The Guardian

.

Turkey is the NATO member with the second largest army and supplies Ukraine with drones for self-defense.

"We deserve greater respect," said the AKP politician.

His country is fulfilling its own obligations within the NATO alliance.

“But what will Sweden and Finland do?

They harbor terrorist organizations that kill my people, don't respect my borders and pose an existential threat to my country," Kilic said.

Turkey simply wants there to be no differentiation between terrorist organizations: "A terrorist organization is a terrorist organization." He also denied claims that the Turkish government wanted to score points domestically with the blockade before the elections.

Joining NATO: Stoltenberg visits Sweden and Finland

Update from June 11, 7:39 p.m .:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg travels to Finland and Sweden for talks on Sunday.

Both states had applied for NATO membership in May under the impression of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

In Naantali, Finland, Stoltenberg first met President Sauli Niinistö.

A meeting between Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is scheduled for Monday.

NATO accession: Turkey accuses Finland and Sweden of having terrorist organizations in their parliaments

Update from June 9, 9.30 a.m .:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again accuses Sweden and Finland of having members of the PKK, which is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization, in their parliaments.

Therefore, Turkey does not want to allow these countries to join NATO, he said in Ankara at a joint press conference with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"Friends, first of all we have to be aware that NATO is a security organization," Erdogan said.

NATO is not an organization to support terrorist groups.

The Turkish President reiterated that Turkey will not deviate from its position: “As long as they have terrorists in their parliaments, as long as there are demonstrations of this terrorist organization with posters of the leaders in the streets of Stockholm, as long as this is done under the cover of the Swedish police and as long as the Swedish state television broadcasts reports with leaders of the terrorist organizations, we cannot tell them 'go on' or 'join NATO'.” Turkey also sees a similar situation in Finland.

At the end of May, the Swedish public broadcaster SVT published an interview with Salih Muslim, chairman of the northern Syrian party PYD, which is considered the political arm of the YPG.

Turkey regards both the PYD and the YPG as Syrian offshoots of the PKK.

However, the YPG is considered an ally of the international coalition in the fight against the IS terrorist militia.

With "terrorists in parliament" Erdogan is likely referring to the Kurdish MP Amineh Kakabaveh, who advocates a closer relationship between the Swedish government and the PYD and YPG.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, speaks during a press conference.

(Archive) © dpa/Turkish Presidency

Sweden and Finland: Turkey is not giving up on the NATO dispute - Ankara reiterates demands

Update from June 7, 2:15 p.m .:

Turkey is not giving in to the debate about Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

"Our concerns about Finland and Sweden's NATO membership applications remain," said the Turkish Presidency's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, according to CNN Türk at an event on the importance of NATO in the 21st century.

“Concrete steps, concrete guarantees” are still expected from the Scandinavian countries.

Altun called for an "end to political support for terror".

Turkey accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting the banned PKK, which is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization.

Here Altun also called for the "end of arms deliveries to the PKK and YPG".

The YPG is considered an ally of the international coalition in the fight against the IS terrorist militia.

However, Turkey regards the YPG as a Syrian offshoot of the PKK.

Altun said Turkey would not change its stance if its demands are not met.

Finland and Sweden joining NATO: Turkey does not feel under "time pressure"

Update from June 3, 5:09 p.m

.: Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, again discussed the possible NATO accession of Finland and Sweden during a visit to Madrid.

"We don't feel under time pressure, like 'let's get it done by the NATO summit'," he said, according to the news

agency

Anadolu.

It is important that Sweden and Finland make it clear, openly, specifically and clearly how they want to act against terrorism.

The NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June is not a deadline.

Sweden and Finland join NATO - Finland wants to do "homework" with Sweden

Update from June 2, 1:50 p.m .:

In the debate about the Turkish blockade of Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto emphasized that they would continue the dialogue with Turkey.

"Together with Sweden, we will do our homework and prepare for Turkey's questions," Haavisto was quoted as saying by the Euronews channel at a press conference.

Before that, he also announced that Helsinki might be interested in Turkish armaments and held out the prospect of arms deals.

"There is some weapon technology from Turkey that could be of interest to Finland," Haavisto said, according to the British newspaper

Financial Times

.

He referred to "drones and other systems".

However, he does not want to rush ahead: "Let's first look at the current status of the negotiations." The Financial Times spoke of Finland's "charm offensive" to persuade Turkey to lift the blockade.

Sweden and Finland join NATO - Stoltenberg optimistic about Turkey: "We will find a way forward"

Update from June 1, 6:20 p.m .:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remains optimistic that Sweden and Finland can soon be admitted to NATO, despite Turkey’s concerns.

"I am confident that we will find a way forward," Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday.

Blinken said: "There is a broad consensus within NATO for the rapid accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance."

Sweden and Finland in NATO?

Erdogan government with a new demand

Update from June 1, 7:50 a.m.:

With a view to discussions about Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for a change in Finnish and Swedish anti-terrorism laws.

Without changing the respective laws, Turkey's position will not change, Cavusoglu told the state news agency

Anadolu

.

Turkey is demanding tougher stances from both countries on the banned PKK and the Syrian YPG, which Ankara sees as an offshoot of the PKK.

The Gülen organization, which is blamed in Turkey for the attempted coup in 2016, should not be tolerated either.

“We explain very well why we are against it.

We explain it with examples, with photos, with videos," said the minister on Turkish resistance to the NATO accession of the Scandinavian countries.

Among other things, Cavusoglu is likely to point to documents that are said to show connections between the PKK and the YPG.

In his talks with

Anadolu

, the Turkish foreign minister also mentioned negotiations with Finland and Sweden.

"Even while these negotiations are ongoing, these terrorist organizations are demonstrating against Turkey," Cavusoglu stressed.

He accused the Scandinavian countries of allowing the activities of a group classified by the EU as a terrorist organization.

Cavusoglu also asked for written answers from Finland and Sweden.

In the talks with delegations from Helsinki and Stockholm, written demands were handed over to the representatives and now we are waiting for written answers to Turkish concerns.

He justified this as follows: “The government could change, a new government could come.

You could say 'We didn't know'.

After joining, their position could change.

So we want it all in writing.”

Sweden and Finland join NATO: Turkey blocks - and risks victory for Putin

First report from May 30th:

Munich/Stockholm – Turkey continues to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO.

The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, sees a serious danger in a NATO disagreement: a possible triumph for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkish NATO blockade for Sweden and Finland: Expert warns of "victory" for Putin

Heusgen

emphasized the strategic relevance of close relations with Turkey to the

world

: "We are very interested in close cooperation." At the same time, however, he also acknowledged considerable difficulties with Ankara: "It is often difficult with Turkey." Heusgen's demand: " We must come to a positive conclusion at the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June.

If we fail, Putin will win.”

Regardless of the future course of the USA, the security expert stated: "We Europeans and Germans must definitely take on more responsibility in the world." Heusgen emphasized that the change in era announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his traffic light government must therefore be implemented "quickly". .

Part of this is the extra billions for the Bundeswehr.

The USA cannot be replaced in terms of security policy.

Nevertheless, it is important to become a better partner for the Americans.

Christoph Heusgen © IMAGO

For example, a “rapid reaction force” is needed “so that we are able to act even in cases in which Washington stays out”.

With regard to the escalating Ukraine conflict, Heusgen made it clear: “We must do everything we can to help Kyiv, including by supplying heavy weapons.

Because Ukraine is also defending us and the security of the NATO countries.”

Sweden and Finland want to join NATO: Biden government sees accession in no danger

Meanwhile, the further progress of the struggle with Turkey for the accession of Sweden and Finland is unclear.

The New York Times

reported on Monday

that most experts see no danger in the accession of Sweden and Finland .

Rather, according to analysts, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is out to promote his own security policy interests.

In addition, Erdoğan has an interest in making a name for himself as he faces elections in Turkey next year.

The government of American President Joe Biden also assumes that Turkey, Sweden and Finland will come to an agreement.

American Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said in direction to Ankara: "It seems to be a problem that you have with Finland and Sweden.

So we will leave it to them.” However, the diplomat did offer support to the Scandinavian countries should it be needed.

Former US ambassador to Turkey and Finland, Eric Edelman, was more skeptical.

The diplomat warned against Turkey's attempts to curry favor with Russia.

Possibly Erdoğan wanted to appease Putin after his country delivered drones to Ukraine.

"He has this very difficult relationship with Putin," he told the

New York Times

, "that's a good way to throw a little bone to Putin: 'Look, I'm still useful to you.'"

When asked by the newspaper, expert Emre Peker, like Heusgen, assumed that a compromise could be reached at the end of June before the NATO meeting in Madrid at the end of June.

Erdogan is less concerned with concessions from the US than with articulating his own demands for dealing with Kurdish separatists and removing a Swedish arms embargo.

Security expert Heusgen calls for more EU engagement in the Balkans and in Africa

Heusgen, meanwhile, focused on the Balkan region and Africa beyond an agreed NATO with regard to the accession of Sweden and Finland.

The EU must expand and consolidate its zones of influence.

In the Balkans, for example, the EU is “the most important donor, the most important trading partner, the most important investor.” Nevertheless, the impression sometimes arises that China, Russia and Turkey have the greatest influence on the Balkan countries.

The chairman of the Munich Security Conference called on the EU to make its commitment more visible.

You have to generate more media presence and appear more in public.

China has long since expanded its sphere of influence to include South America and Africa.

Heusgen noted that the reputation of the United States in some regions is much worse than expected.

According to Heusgen, Germany and the EU also have to offer African states more: "We have to compensate for the fact that the Chinese are investing more everywhere than we are." , development policy and economic forces.”

(lp)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-06-14

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