The United States is trying to clarify Turkey's position on the possible membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO, the Deputy Foreign Minister for European and Eurasian Affairs said today, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoτεραan said Ankara does not support the request of the two countries.
Speaking to reporters, Karen Donfried said that the issue will be discussed at the NATO ministerial meeting to be held in Berlin at the weekend.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke today with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in a phone call that lasted just over half an hour, according to the White House.
O The Finnish president wrote on Twitter that he “presented Finland's next steps towards NATO membership” and added that his country was “deeply grateful to the United States for its support”.
A joint phone call with @POTUS @JoeBiden and @SwedishPM Magdalena Andersson. We shared a deep concern over Russia's war on Ukraine. I went through Finland’s next steps towards NATO membership. Finland deeply appreciates all the necessary support from the US.
— Sauli Niinistö (@niinisto) May 13, 2022
Turkey today threatened to block the two countries from joining NATO. This process can only be completed if the request is unanimously approved by all the member countries of the Pact. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated on Thursday that Washington would support the request, while NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was ready to welcome the two countries “with open arms”.
Sweden and Finland to hold talks with Turkey after Erdogan's objections to NATO membership
Sweden and Finland plan to hold talks with Turkey in Berlin on Saturday following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opposition to the two Nordic countries joining NATO, the two foreign ministries said.
Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde “will have the opportunity to discuss a possible Swedish candidacy” with her Turkish counterpart during an informal meeting of NATO ministers to which Sweden and Finland are invited, she told AFP. .
“I hope we will continue to have positive messages from all 30 NATO member countries. “Many of the 30 allies have expressed strong public support for Sweden and Finland.””The Turkish government has not sent us this kind of message directly,” she said. Finland and Sweden joining NATO would be a “mistake”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier today.
During a press conference at the same time in Helsinki, Finnish Foreign Minister Peka Ha also announced his intention to “continue the discussion” with Turkish Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu.
“I think we need patience in these processes and this is not done overnight & # 8230; “Let us move forward step by step,” he said, noting that Finland has not yet officially announced its bid to join NATO.
Erdogan's statement today seems to have come as a surprise to Helsinki, as Haavisto has visited Turkey twice in recent months and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke by telephone with Erdogan in early April.
Following the phone call, Niinisto wrote on Twitter: “Turkey supports Finland's goals.” Joining a new member of the North Atlantic Alliance requires unanimity. Thus, Turkey may block the candidacies of the two Scandinavian countries, which are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Erdogan's blackmail in NATO for Finland and Sweden
< It is recalled that after the direct threats of Russia that a possible accession to the North Atlantic Alliance would turn the above countries into "enemies" of Moscow, today it was the turn of the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan to express an opinion that comes closer to Putin. rather than NATO, of which Turkey is a member.
In particular, in an attempt to blackmail NATO by leaving the window open for a possible official “objection” of Turkey to the accession of Finland and Sweden, the Turkish president “remembered” to shoot his arrows at Greece, stressing that Ankara does not view this move positively. Referring to the possibility of NATO membership for the two Scandinavian countries, Erdogan described them as “terrorist hostels”, and went on to say that the North Atlantic Alliance did & # 8230; wrong in the case of Greece.
The Turkish president said: “We are currently monitoring developments in Sweden and Finland, but we are not in a positive mood. They made mistakes in NATO with the case of Greece in the past, its previous administrations, you know the attitude of Greece towards Turkey, with the support of NATO. We do not want to make a mistake. The Nordic countries are like & # 8216; hostels & # 8217; for terrorist organizations “.
