The Star:
Turkey says it is "meaningless" to restore NATO dialogue with Sweden, Finland
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool/File Photo
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday it was "meaningless" to hold a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland to discuss their NATO bids after protests this month in Stockholm.
Speaking at a news conference, Cavusoglu also said there is no offer to evaluate Sweden's and Finland's NATO membership seperately.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said his country wanted to restore NATO dialogue with Turkey after Ankara indefinitely postponed trilateral talks with Sweden and Finland over their membership.
The Swedish politician was being unnecessarily provocative, but he doesn't represent the government.
ReplyDeleteTurkey doesn't hold all the cards on Sweden's NATO membership application... There are trade offs on other matters that Turkey needs. I think Turkey underestimates how important the matter of Swedish NATO membership is to the Yanks and the Western Europeans.
We shall Wait and See.