US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated today that the United States “strongly supports” its demands. Sweden and her Φινλανδίας for NATO membership.
He also noted that he spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Tsavousogluon Ankara’s concerns about the two countries’ accession and is convinced that consensus can be reached.
“I do not want to characterize the specific discussion we had either with the Foreign Minister or during the NATO meetings, but I can say the following: there was very strong support from almost everyone at the table (for accession (Sweden and Finland)). “In the alliance,” Blinken told reporters after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin.
“If that is what they will choose to do, I am absolutely convinced that we will reach a consensus,” he added.
The terms of Turkey
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Sweden and Finland should stop supporting terrorists in their countries, provide clear security guarantees and lift export bans to Turkey if they seek NATO membership.
Speaking to Turkish journalists after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu said that Turkey was not threatening or influencing anyone, but was expressing its views, especially on Sweden’s support for Kurdish PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party). Ankara considers the PKK a terrorist organization.
Finland confirmed today that it would seek NATO membership, and Sweden is expected to follow suit, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, according to Reuters, Turkey’s concerns could be an obstacle, as any decision on NATO enlargement requires the unanimous approval of all 30 member states.
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