3/11/2022–|Last updated: 3/11/202223:45 (Mecca)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Turkey, a member of the organization, is an important ally and contributes greatly to the common security of alliance countries.
Stoltenberg added, in a joint press conference held Thursday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, that he had discussed the situation in the Aegean Sea, the fight against terrorism, the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance and the support from supply to Ukraine.
The NATO Secretary General praised Turkey’s role in what he described as NATO’s fight against terrorism in Iraq and its contribution to NATO’s naval and air defense.
Stoltenberg also thanked Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for securing the Ukrainian grain export agreement and said Kiev developed its defense thanks to the support provided by Turkey.
Finland and Sweden
The NATO Secretary General considered that Finland and Sweden respect the commitments made in the agreements with Turkey on the fight against terrorism.
However, the Turkish Foreign Minister said during the press conference that Finland and Sweden have not yet fulfilled all obligations under the agreement with Turkey to approve its NATO membership application, asking them to take swift steps in this regard. sense.
And last June, Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding with Sweden and Finland, paving the way for the two northern European countries to join the alliance.
Turkey claims that Sweden and Finland host individuals linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a coup attempt on 15 July 2016. It has submitted 28 requests to Sweden and 12 extradition requests to Finland.
The two countries have asked to join NATO in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine since February 24, but Ankara has sought further guarantees, including that the two countries would not host Kurdish militants.
