Last minute: While Turkey’s objections regarding Sweden and Finland’s membership applications to NATO continue, delegations from the two countries had recently come to Turkey. The consultation meeting on the membership applications of Sweden and Finland to NATO was held at the Presidential Complex.
After the critical meetings, Presidency Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said: “We have made it very clear that the process will not progress unless Turkey’s security concerns are met with concrete steps in a certain timetable. We conveyed to Sweden and Finland that we continue our fight against FETO in Europe. To our interlocutors, the PKK and YPG We explained that it was no different. We did not receive a positive response to our extradition requests from Sweden and Finland. We shared these concerns with our interlocutors. We conveyed that sanctions against Turkey against all defense industries should be lifted immediately. We wanted concrete steps to be taken against terrorist organizations. Negotiations and consultations in the coming days It will continue. There is no clear date yet.” had used the words.
EXPLANATION FROM FINLAND
Meeting in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto evaluated the NATO process of Finland and Sweden for the press after the meeting.
Reminding that he has visited Turkey twice recently, Haavisto said, “We take the concerns of all NATO members, including Turkey, seriously. We are currently trying to clarify these issues in an open, direct and constructive dialogue with Turkey.” said.
Reminding that delegations from Sweden and Finland held meetings in Turkey, Haavisto said, “The negotiations with Turkey are progressing positively and these negotiations will continue. We trust the open-door policy of NATO, which Turkey also supports. We think that the related problems can be solved.” made its assessment.
Haavisto added that it would be important for them to progress in negotiations with Turkey until the NATO Summit to be held in Madrid in June.
BLINKEN: WE ARE IN CONTACT WITH ANKARA
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Blinken said that the talks between Turkey, Finland and Sweden are continuing actively and constructively, and that the US is closely monitoring the process in contact with Ankara.
Blinken stated that he met with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in New York and that these issues were also discussed comprehensively at this meeting and they believed that both countries would join NATO at the end of the process.
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