Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, says he supports Turkey’s ambition to become an EU member. It happens after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again asks for talks about EU membership: – First, open the way for Turkey’s membership in the EU, then we will open up for Sweden, just as we have opened up for Finland, says Erdogan, according to news agency AFP. Jens Stoltenberg is open to Turkish EU membership. Photo: PETRAS MALUKAS / AFP Turkey has for several decades expressed its desire to join the EU, at regular intervals. In 1999, Turkey gained candidate status, but the road from the doorstep to the warmth of the EU has been difficult and long. The war in Ukraine has once again brought the membership up to date. Sweden and Finland have been non-aligned countries, but after Russia went to war against Ukraine, both countries applied for NATO membership. Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952, and initially blocked both applications. In March, President Erdogan finally agreed to Finland. NATO YES: Erdogan gave Turkish yes to Finnish NATO membership in March this year. Photo: Burhan Ozbilici / AP But Turkey is still blocking Sweden’s NATO application. He has previously delivered a list of demands to Sweden. Now he is asking for negotiations to join the EU in return for approval. Koran burning in Sweden is among the things that have seen a stop to the Turkish yes. – If they do not show that respect, they cannot expect any support from us in the NATO issue, Erdogan said after the far-right politician Rasmus Paludan organized the burning of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden. In addition to Koran burning, Erdogan blames Sweden for harboring “PKK terrorists”. Erdogan has a list of names that he wants handed over to Turkey. Several Norwegian parties are critical of such an extradition agreement. Several countries reacted to the Koran burning in Sweden. Here, the Swedish flag is burned in Lahore in Pakistan. Photo: ARIF ALI / AFP The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a political party, labeled a terrorist by the EU, the US and Turkey. The party, which was founded in 1978 with the aim of establishing its own Kurdish state, has been fighting against Turkish authorities since the 1980s. They do not call themselves a terrorist group, but say that they work for Kurdish rights and a Kurdish state. Great excitement Today starts the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Both Turkish President Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will hold talks during the day. There is therefore great excitement about what will happen there. Can Sweden join NATO? And will Turkey’s opportunity to join the EU be strengthened? During the meeting, the NATO countries will also discuss how Ukraine can approach membership in the alliance, and what security guarantees the country can get once Russia’s warfare ends. Hear also:
ttn-69
Turkey blocks NATO application – wants to talk about the EU first – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
