World
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on February 21, 2023. Photo: Valeria Mongelli/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In remarks on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of NATO said he will host Sweden, Finland, and Turkey next month to discuss progress in the Nordic nations’ accession into the military alliance.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, said he had a “good discussion” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he visited Ankara last week after devastating earthquakes killed more than 43,000 people in Turkey.
“We agreed to restart the talks and to convene a trilateral meeting between Finland, Sweden, and Turkey at NATO headquarters in mid-March under my auspices to discuss the implementation of the agreement made last June and how to complete the accession process,” Stoltenberg said in a press conference in Estonia on Friday.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey has raised objections, accusing Sweden of supporting groups it labels as terrorists, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
In June, Ankara, Stockholm, and Helsinki signed a memorandum in which Sweden and Finland said they would address Turkey’s concerns, including extraditing suspected PKK members. In December, Stockholm extradited a Kurdish refugee, Mahmut Tat, to Turkey for his alleged links to the PKK.
In January, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his government has done what it said it would do, but that Turkey is asking for things Sweden “cannot” do. A Swedish member of the European Parliament, Evin Incir, speaking to Rudaw this week, accused Ankara of holding Sweden and Finland as “hostages” after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said “Stockholm needs to do more.”
Hungary has also yet to ratify Sweden and Finland’s accession, but will begin the process next week, according to Stoltenberg. “Our aim is for both Finland and Sweden to join as soon as possible. This will strengthen their security, it will strengthen Europe’s security, and it will strengthen NATO,” he said.
Sweden will host a donor conference in March to mobilize funds for the people of Turkey and Syria after the earthquakes.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, said he had a “good discussion” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he visited Ankara last week after devastating earthquakes killed more than 43,000 people in Turkey.
“We agreed to restart the talks and to convene a trilateral meeting between Finland, Sweden, and Turkey at NATO headquarters in mid-March under my auspices to discuss the implementation of the agreement made last June and how to complete the accession process,” Stoltenberg said in a press conference in Estonia on Friday.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey has raised objections, accusing Sweden of supporting groups it labels as terrorists, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
In June, Ankara, Stockholm, and Helsinki signed a memorandum in which Sweden and Finland said they would address Turkey’s concerns, including extraditing suspected PKK members. In December, Stockholm extradited a Kurdish refugee, Mahmut Tat, to Turkey for his alleged links to the PKK.
In January, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his government has done what it said it would do, but that Turkey is asking for things Sweden “cannot” do. A Swedish member of the European Parliament, Evin Incir, speaking to Rudaw this week, accused Ankara of holding Sweden and Finland as “hostages” after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said “Stockholm needs to do more.”
Hungary has also yet to ratify Sweden and Finland’s accession, but will begin the process next week, according to Stoltenberg. “Our aim is for both Finland and Sweden to join as soon as possible. This will strengthen their security, it will strengthen Europe’s security, and it will strengthen NATO,” he said.
Sweden will host a donor conference in March to mobilize funds for the people of Turkey and Syria after the earthquakes.
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