Space Industry and Business News
SUPERPOWERS
Erdogan dampens hopes of Sweden joining NATO in July
Erdogan dampens hopes of Sweden joining NATO in July
By Fulya OZERKAN
Istanbul (AFP) June 14, 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday rebuffed growing international pressure on Ankara to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid before the Western defence alliance meets in July.

Western officials had hoped Erdogan would soften his position on the diplomatically charged issue after he secured a hard-fought re-election last month.

But Erdogan signalled no major shift in comments released by his office as Turkish and Swedish officials were locked in a new round of talks in Ankara.

"Sweden has expectations. It doesn't mean that we will comply with them," Erdogan was quoted as saying.

"In order for us to meet these expectations, first of all, Sweden must do its part."

Sweden and its Nordic neighbour Finland ended decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the US-led defence bloc in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey and fellow NATO member Hungary -- both pushing a more accommodating line with Russia -- were the last to ratify Finland's membership this year.

But both countries' parliaments have yet to approve Sweden's entry.

Unanimous backing is needed for new countries to secure the guarantees afforded by the world's most powerful defence alliance.

- 'Let's get that done' -

US President Joe Biden pressed Erdogan about Sweden during a call he placed a day after the Turkish leader extended his two-decade rule until 2028.

Ankara hopes to win US congressional approval of a major defence package that could substantially modernise Turkey's ageing fleet of fighter jets.

Biden directly linked the F-16 fighters' sale with the Swedish bid for the first time.

Erdogan "still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let's get that done," Biden told reporters after the call.

And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg personally discussed the bid with Erdogan in Istanbul ahead of an alliance summit in Lithuania in July.

Erdogan noted that Stoltenberg's visit coincided with a protest held in Stockholm by supporters of a Kurdish group classified as a terrorist organisation by Ankara.

Turkey is pushing Sweden to crack down on such rallies.

"There are rights given to (Sweden's) law enforcement under the constitution. Use those rights," Erdogan said. "If you don't deal with it, we cannot (say yes) at the summit in Vilnius."

- 'Far from finish line' -

Sweden has already toughened its anti-terrorism legislation and taken other measures aimed at meeting Turkey's concerns.

It has agreed to extradite a self-proclaimed supporter of the Kurdish militants convicted of drug trafficking and arrested in Sweden in August last year.

Turkey "was able to raise some concerns that it had," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week.

"Finland and Sweden have both addressed those concerns and, in our judgement, addressed them appropriately and effectively."

Wednesday's lower-level talks in Ankara ended with an agreement for the two sides and Finland to meet again at an undisclosed time.

"This has been a meeting that has moved the process forward, but we are still far from the finish line," Swedish negotiator Oscar Stenstrom said after the talks.

"Once again the conversation focused on how well Sweden is meeting its commitments... and very specifically how well Sweden is fighting (Kurdish militants) and terrorism."

The Swedish police have cited the right to free expression and assembly while allowing a series of anti-Erdogan and anti-NATO protests in Stockholm in the past year.

Stoltenberg tried to underline the "progress" achieve in Wednesday's talks.

"It's still possible, I can't guarantee it of course, but it's possible to have an agreement in place by the summit," the NATO chief said in Brussels.

Turkey's parliament has returned from its election campaign break and is scheduled to be in session until the two-day Vilnius summit starts on July 11.

Hungary's parliament has extended its current session -- which had been due to end on Thursday -- until July 7.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SUPERPOWERS
Germany takes aim at China in first national security blueprint
Berlin (AFP) June 14, 2023
Germany on Wednesday called China a "partner, competitor and systemic rival" in its first national security strategy, accusing Beijing of repeatedly acting against the European giant's interests in a bid to reshape the global order. The document prepared by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition slammed China for putting regional stability and international security "under increasing pressure" and for disregarding human rights. "China is trying in various ways to remould the existing rules-based int ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
Foldable phased-array transmitters for small satellites

goTenna's mesh network demonstrates Oahu connectivity for U.S. military

Discharge test for launcher antenna

D-Orbit launches 11th orbital transportation mission in years

SUPERPOWERS
Luxembourg Parliament Approves MGS, Enabling NATO's Access to SES's O3b mPOWER System

Final Ariane 5 Flight Will Carry German Communications Satellite Into Space

OneWeb and Eutelsat demonstrate global connectivity solution to NATO

Viasat selected by AFRL to deliver space relay communications for multi-orbit mission

SUPERPOWERS
SUPERPOWERS
LEO PNT satellite signal simulator debuts at JNC 2023 conference

Northrop Grumman to produce new maritime navigation sensor for US Navy

Galileo Second Generation enters full development phase

Royal navy tests quantum sensor for future navigation systems

SUPERPOWERS
Next generation experimental aircraft becomes NASA's newest X-Plane

A step toward safe and reliable autopilots for flying

U.S. deploys F-22s to Middle East to counter Russia's 'unsafe, unprofessional behavior'

Paris Air Show returns with climate, defence in focus

SUPERPOWERS
Intel to invest up to $4.6 bn in new Poland chip site

Ex-Samsung exec charged with stealing chip tech for China factory

US chip giant Micron to invest $600 mn in China plant

MIT engineers develop a soft, printable, metal-free electrode

SUPERPOWERS
Satellogic earth observation constellation continues expansion with SpaceX Transporter-8 Mission

Thales Alenia Space joins tema to develop Destination Earth core service platform

Terran Orbital and ImageSat International set to launch RUNNER-1 EO sat

Sidus to launch LizzieSat with Edge AI, hyperspectral and multispectral imaging

SUPERPOWERS
The Vietnamese octogenarian fighting for Agent Orange victims

Floating island plan for French Riviera dropped after ecological concerns

Trendy French island limits visitors to fight 'overtourism'

Intelsat starts testing NASA air pollution monitor

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.