“We appreciate President Erdogan’s work on this matter, but I don’t have a timetable, I’ll just say that we hope it will be approved as soon as possible,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The United States has not received a specific timeline from Turkey for ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership, the State Department notes.
Responding to a question from APE-MPE on whether the American side believes that this process could be completed before October, the representative of the US Department of State Matthew Miller explained that he does not have a timetable and expressed his optimism that the matter will close as soon as possible.
“I will not talk about timetables. I will say that we are optimistic that Sweden’s accession to NATO will be approved. We appreciate President Erdogan’s work on this matter, but I don’t have a timetable, I will just say that we hope it will be approved as soon as possible,” he said.
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, President Erdoğan had argued that the ratification of Sweden’s accession protocol would not be possible before October due to the two-month suspension of the work of the Turkish Parliament. For their part, all US lawmakers who have a say in approving the F-16 contract have made it clear that they will not initiate any process before Sweden joins NATO.
In fact, some, led by Senator Robert Menendez, are putting broader conditions on the table, which include a surveillance mechanism but also the military reinforcement of Greece that will allow it to gain a comparative advantage over Turkey. In this way, the lawmakers seek to ensure that Ankara will not be able to destabilize NATO’s southern flank by using the F-16s to violate the sovereignty of allied countries.
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
