17.02.2023
NATO chief says NATO “stands together” with Turkey after earthquake. He did not forget to call on Turkey to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO; Turkey’s foreign minister revealed that Finland may be allowed to join first.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) NATO (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Jens Stoltenberg) visited Turkey on Thursday (February 16) and announced that NATO will provide tents and other materials to assist Turkey and assist those affected by the earthquake. Displaced victims.
During a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Stoltenberg said: “NATO stands with Turkey when you need it.” He pointed out that this is since the establishment of NATO. The deadliest earthquake in a member state, and NATO will use its “strategic airlift capacity” to deliver aid more quickly. Stoltenberg will also visit the disaster area and hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
NATO urges Turkey to approve Finland, Sweden’s membership bids
In addition to the earthquake, Stoltenberg did not forget to mention Finland and Sweden’s application to join NATO, calling on Turkey to approve it. “I continue to believe that now is the time to ratify both Finland and Sweden,” he said.
Finland and Sweden need the consent of all NATO members to join NATO. At this stage, only Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified; these two countries may be among the few NATO members that have maintained relatively friendly relations with Russia after the Russo-Ukraine war.
Hungary is expected to hold a parliamentary vote in March this year on whether to approve Finland and Sweden to join NATO. But Turkey has opposed the two countries’ accession from the beginning,Calls for two countries to host Kurdish “terrorists”, as well as supporters of the cleric Fethullah Gülen. The man was accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being the mastermind of a 2016 coup.
Turkey’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership has hardened over the past few weeks. Recently, two protests broke out in Sweden. The first was initiated by Kurdish advocates, and the second was promoted by extreme right-wingers. Some people burned Erdogan’s portrait and a copy of the Koran.
NATO countries continued to lobby Turkey to change its position.german foreign minister berbock(Annalena Baerbock), who visited Finland and Sweden this week, also called on Turkey to ratify the two countries as soon as possible.
German Foreign Minister Berberk (left) and Finnish Foreign Minister Haavisto met in Helsinki, Finland on the 13th.
Turkey reaffirms it may ratify Finland into NATO first
In the face of Sweden, Turkey has recently found new reasons to oppose its joining NATO; at the same time, it has also released a signal, revealing that it may let Finland join first.
On the 16th, at the joint press conference between NATO and Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said: “We can separately evaluate the procedures for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.” He added: “Turkey’s position on these two countries, from It was clear from the start.”
He said that, in his view, the time was ripe to approve the accession of Finland and Sweden, but also suggested that the option of separate accession by the two countries might also be considered. The main question, he said, is not whether the two countries join together, but whether it can be ratified as soon as possible.
(AFP, DPA, Reuters)
© 2023 Deutsche Welle Copyright Statement: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special authorization from Deutsche Welle. Any wrongdoing will result in recovery and be subject to criminal prosecution.
