The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn blamed the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for “market mentality” due to its negative attitude towards the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.
“One knows how the bazaars work in Turkey “, Asselborn commented sharply, speaking on Tuesday on the German network ZDF. “And sometimes the mentality, especially of Erdogan, is shaped by that.”
Sweden and Finland are seeking to join the Western military alliance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Erdogan said that Turkey is negative about this possibility. He accused both countries of supporting “terrorist organizations”, such as the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
According to Asselborn, the concern of Turkey does not concern the Kurdish issue at all, but their tradition American F16 fighter jets – such an agreement with Ankara is politically controversial in Washington. “I think Erdogan wants to ‘raise the price’ (in the negotiation) and put pressure on that to happen (F-16 fighters).” This is a dangerous game.
However, the German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht appeared more modest than Ankara.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels, he said that in the end, Turkey would not block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO. “Ultimately, it is enrichment for NATO when two EU countries as strong as Finland and Sweden join NATO. “Και And I am firmly convinced that Turkey can also be convinced of that,” he noted.
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