EMERGENCY- Erdogan's vehement attack: He has put an ultimatum to NATO - "Fulfill my terms or I veto the Sweden-Finland accession"
They are "hostels of terrorists"
War News 24 / 7
13/05/2022 - 19:53
"We are not going to make a mistake a second time and sweden and finland will join NATO" and Turkey's President P.T.Erdogan has threatened to veto NATO and its member countries with a slap in the face against the West.
Erdogan has made it clear in every tone that he will veto NATO so that the two countries do not join unless it gets quid pro quo. The same image has been conveyed by Turkish media in the last few hours.
Erdogan noted that "Members of the PKK-YPG are even members of parliament in some countries", putting the Kurdish question on the table.
Erdogan demands:
- To approve the sale and upgrade of the F-16
- Start Turkey-NATO security negotiations for the Kurds
- Sweden and Finland to oust PKK-YPG supporters
- Us to allow a Turkish military operation on the territory of NE Syria
- Not to exempt the territories of NE Syria from the US sanctions as announced by the US recently as this will mean the development of the area controlled by the Americans as well as a model of a Kurdish state.
Ankara often accuses Stockholm of hosting PKK leaders and organising high-level meetings with representatives of the PKK's Syrian arm, the People's Protection Units (YPG).
Turkish media point out that Sweden's foreign minister, Ann Linde, had visited high-ranking members of the PKK/YPG groups in northern Syria in 2021. See the picture at the end published by the Turks.
Sweden's foreign minister, Ann Linde, met with YPG representatives in 2020 causing an incident with Ankara. In addition, Linde sharply criticised Turkey's military operations in northern Syria during an official visit to Ankara. This had provoked a strong reaction from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu in 2020.
Turkish media "recall" that Turkey previously blocked a NATO defence plan for the Baltic states in 2019 because of the Alliance's refusal to refer to the YPG as a terrorist group in its official documents. Ankara has taken a step back after some negotiations where NATO met some of the Turkish conditions in 2020.
Ankara also criticized Finland for imposing military sanctions against Turkey in 2019 over Turkey's operations against the YPG in northern Syria.
Erdogan for Finland and Sweden – I don't see their accession positively
Erdogan, referring to the possibility of joining NATO for the two Scandinavian countries, called them
"hostels of terrorists" and stressed that
"Sweden has become a home for the PKK and other terrorist groups. We do not see their nato membership positively."
The Turkish president said:
"We are currently monitoring the developments regarding Sweden and Finland for their accession to NATO but we are not in a positive mood.
Because previous Turkish governments were wrong
with the case of Greece in the past, and approved its return to nato's military structure in 1980.
And now you know Greece's attitude towards Turkey, with the support of NATO.
As Turkey, we do not want to repeat a second mistake.
They are "hostels of terrorists"!
The Scandinavian countries, unfortunately, are 'hostels' of terrorist organisations.
PKK, DHKP-C are based in Sweden and the Netherlands.
I go even further to stress that the PKK and DHKP-C are represented in their parliaments as legislators/parliamentarians.
That is why we cannot have a positive view of Sweden's and Finland's accession to NATO"!
Erdogan furious and against US
Erdogan also reacted to the "general permission"
given by the US to exempt from US sanctions the territories of northern Syria, including those controlled by the Kurdish YPG rebels, whom Turkey calls a "regional part of the PKK".
"I don't know what to say about Biden. Once we've seen all of Biden's data and accurate statements, then we'll reveal our stance. First of all, the YPG is a terrorist organisation and is the same as the PKK. It is not possible to accept this mistake of America.
America has given all kinds of financial support against the terrorist organization PKK, against all organizations in northern Syria. He sent equipment and ammunition with trucks. Now we hear about such things.
What we have done in northern Iraq, we will continue to do in northern Syria, regardless of who the PKK or the YPG is.
We cannot afford to close our eyes to terrorists; we say this to countries that seem friendly. You are wrong, take your steps right. We will analyse them in our future meetings," the Turkish president said.
On the same issue, Mevlut Çavuşoğlu reacted strongly yesterday, stressing that the lifting of US sanctions on the territories controlled by the YPG rebels in Syria is an attempt to legitimise a "terrorist group". At the same time, he calls the latest US move
"biased, without objective criteria".
What Erdogan said about Mitsotakis' upcoming visit to the US
Meanwhile, the issue of the upgrade of 80 Turkish F-16s and the sale of 40 new fighter jets by the US to Ankara, has been in the news in recent days, on the occasion of the Wall Street Journal report, according to which the Biden administration has already asked Congress to approve – initially – the upgrade plan.
In this context, Tayyip Erdogan was asked to make his own comment in contact with Turkish journalists on Friday, on the occasion of the upcoming meeting between Joe Biden and Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Washington.
In particular, Erdogan was asked to comment on reports that want the Greek prime minister, during the visit to the US and the meeting with the US president, to try to prevent the delivery of the F-16s to Turkey.
On this question, Erdogan stated:
"Right now, there's no point in trying to get away and rely on assumptions. So I don't know what kind of statements Biden will make. Of course, the messages that Mitsotakis will send there are a separate issue. So we expect to see it all together, especially Biden's statements. After we see them, we will reveal our attitude."
The scenarios for a Turkish veto
According to the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, Turkey will consider the issue of Sweden's and Finland's accession to NATO in the light of not disturbing both the Alliance's structure and Turkey's national security, taking into account the potential security implications in the Baltic region.
Ankara's "condition", according to the newspaper, is
for the security dialogue, which has been neglected for many years between Turkey and NATO, to increase and take into account Ankara's security concerns, especially in terms of the support given to what Ankara considers, terrorism.
Discussions to address Turkey's reservations have already begun by Western countries in order to secure Ankara's vote, which could bring positive quid pro quo, according to the Turkish newspaper.
USA: Turkey to clarify its position
The United States is trying to clarify Turkey's position on Sweden's and Finland's possible accession to NATO, the deputy foreign minister, in charge of European and Eurasian affairs, said today after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Ankara does not support the two countries' request.
Speaking with reporters, Karen Donfried said the issue would be discussed at the NATO ministerial meeting to be hosted over the weekend in Berlin.
State Department: Sharp response to Erdogan
Earlier, the State Department said it strongly supports NATO's open-door policy, as well as the right of each country to decide on its own future, its own foreign policy and its security.
"We respect the political processes under way in both Finland and Sweden, and a decision to join NATO is a decision that will be taken sovereignly by these nations," hesaid.
"The United States would support a possible application from Finland and Sweden for NATO membership if it chooses to apply. We will respect any decision they make", he adds.
"We agree with Secretary General Stoltenberg that there is strong allied support for a possible application from Finland and Sweden. Both countries are close and valuable defence partners of the United States and NATO.
They are thriving democracies and have worked closely with NATO for many years; they would make our Alliance stronger and contribute to the security and stability of Europe," he explains and concludes that
"Turkey is a key NATO ally and a crucial regional partner. We refer you to the Government of Turkey for questions about President Erdogan's comments."
Sweden and Finland to discuss with Turkey
"To discuss with Turkey", Sweden and Finland plan tomorrow, Saturday, in Berlin, after the contrary stance expressed by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the possible accession of the two Scandinavian countries to NATO.
Swedish Minister Anne Linde
"will have the opportunity to discuss the possible Swedish candidacy" with her Turkish counterpart during an informal meeting of NATO ministers, to which Sweden and Finland are invited, she said in a statement to the French Agency.
"I hope that we will continue to have positive messages from all 30 NATO member countries. Many of the 30 allies have publicly expressed strong support for Sweden and Finland," he added.
"The Turkish government did not send us this kind of message directly," the head of Swedish diplomacy stressed.
During a press conference at the same time in Helsinki, Finnish Foreign Minister Peca Haavisto also announced his intention to
"continue the discussion" with Turkish Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu.
"I think we need patience in these processes and this is not done overnight... Let's move forward step by step", he stressed, recalling that Finland has not yet officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
EMERGENCY- Erdogan's vehement attack: He has set an ultimatum to NATO - "Fulfil my conditions or veto Sweden-Finland accession" - WarNews247