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The US Congress should take steps on selling F-16s and upgrade kits simultaneously with Türkiye, so all sides can take the remaining steps needed at the same time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday on Sweden’s NATO accession bid.

“If the U.S. has a Congress, we also have our parliament. There’s nothing to say (on Sweden’s NATO bid) until a final decision comes from our parliament,” Erdogan told journalists on his return flight from a two-day visit to Qatar. All current NATO members must ratify any countries joining the alliance.

Saying that he fulfilled his job by sending Sweden’s NATO protocol to the Turkish parliament in October, Erdogan added that he expects something from his counterparts.

“Simultaneously, pass this (F-16 sale) through your Congress on this issue, and let’s take these steps together at the same time.”

Stoltenberg told The Associated Press that he urged Turkey to finalize the process as he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

“I met with President Erdogan this morning and I reiterated my message that the time has come to finalize the accession process for Sweden,” he said.

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet formally approved Sweden’s accession bid.

Ratification of Sweden’s Membership will not be completed in time for this most recent meeting (taking place over the next two days)

Turkey has informed NATO that ratification of Sweden’s membership bid will not be completed in time to allow the country’s accession ceremony at a meeting of alliance foreign ministers next week, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

Last week, the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee delayed a vote on Sweden’s NATO membership bid in order to hold further talks on the subject.

The committee will likely resume its debate on the matter on Tuesday or Wednesday, one of the sources said. NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on those days, Nov. 28-29, a gathering that some in the Western defense bloc had hoped would mark Sweden’s accession.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised objections at the time to both requests over what he said was the Nordic nations’ protection of those who Turkey deems terrorists as well as their defense trade embargoes. Turkey endorsed Finland’s bid in April, but has kept Sweden waiting.

Turkey has demanded that Sweden take more steps to rein in local members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community.

While NATO member Hungary also has not ratified Sweden’s membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to Sweden’s accession.

TO BE DELAYED TO FALL

The vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO was delayed after members of the ruling party, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, failed to show up for the meeting. Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, said on July 11 that ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership was currently “only a technical matter”. On June 28, Hungary announced that Sweden’s NATO membership ratification session had been postponed until the fall.

‘THE FINAL DECISION IS UP TO PARLIAMENT’

On June 14, Szijjarto stated that the Hungarian government supports Sweden’s membership in NATO, but the final decision belongs to the parliament, taking into account the “insults” the Stockholm government has made against his country.

Szijjarto noted that they were constantly subjected to criticism, accusations and allegations by Swedish politicians, and recalled that Sweden had accused Hungary of “not having democracy and becoming a dictatorship”.

Szijjarto stated that such criticism was a valid reason for not approving Sweden’s NATO membership.

Zelensky is disappointed

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the “absurd” absence of a timetable for his country to join Nato as leaders met at a summit in Lithuania.

President Joe Biden described the Nato gathering as a “historic moment” and said the US agreed with a proposal, yet to be released publicly, to outline a path for Ukraine’s eventual membership.

However, Mr Zelenskyy, who was on his way to Vilnius to join the summit, expressed disappointment at how the negotiations were playing out.

“We value our allies,” he wrote on Twitter but added that “Ukraine also deserves respect”.

“It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Mr Zelenskyy said. He added: “Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.”

A public flash of anger from the Ukrainian leader, who has been hailed by the West as a hero for his leadership during the Russian invasion, could renew tensions in Vilnius just as they had begun to subside.

When I have a bit more time I’ll get to Turkey’s stance regarding Sweden’s admission into NATO

Western leaders gather in Lithuania’s capital on Monday to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine amid rare glimmers of disunity over Washington’s controversial decision to supply cluster bombs to Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced hope that Tuesday’s NATO summit in Vilnius would provide a “clear signal” that Kyiv could join the alliance once its war with Russia is over.

– Cluster concerns –

Ahead of the summit, US President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a stopover in London on Monday, with British concern over the cluster munitions deal a key subject for discussion.

Britain is one of more than 120 countries that have signed an agreement banning the production, storage, sale and use of cluster bombs, which rights groups say pose a danger to civilian populations long after they are deployed.

Biden said the decision to send the weapons was “very difficult” but Ukrainian forces were “running out of ammunition”.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday played down any rift between the two leaders and in NATO, saying the Biden and Sunak were “on the same page strategically on Ukraine”.

China on Monday denounced the move as ‘irresponsible” and said it could lead to ‘humanitarian problems”. 

In a summit expected to present unity on Ukraine’s future membership, a key goal is to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden’s all-but-cleared membership bid.

So far nothing to indicate Turkey has changed it’s mind on Sweden

Erdoğan: Let Turkey into EU if you want Sweden to join NATO

“First, let’s clear Turkey’s way in the European Union, then let’s clear the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” Erdogan said at a news conference, before he departs for the NATO summit in Lithuania.

Erdogan also emphasized that “Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now,” and “almost all NATO member countries are European member countries.”

Isn’t Hungary still opposed to Sweden joining NATO? Or has this changed?

Why Turkey And Hungary Are Currently Blocking Sweden From Joining NATO – OpEd

The Sweden Problem

At a press conference in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO’s Stoltenberg, Vivian Salama of the Wall Street Journal asked, “Are you concerned that Turkey is increasingly becoming a disruptive ally?” Both Blinken and Stoltenberg ducked the question, which led Kylie Atwood of CNN to ask directly about NATO membership for Sweden. Stoltenberg obliquely noted Turkey’s concerns regarding the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Sweden. “All NATO allies are of course ready to sit down and address those concerns, including the threats posed to Turkey by PKK,” Stoltenberg said.

No, all NATO allies are NOT ready to sit down and legitimately address those concerns- Stoltenberg’s paying lip service to Turkish concerns is obvious!

In 2009, when Sweden held the presidency of the Council of Europe, then-Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt promised to shepherd Turkey into the European Union.

And it’s now 2023…. Turkey, as it stands today, will not be allowed into the EU. Now if the other NATO nations can balkanize Turkey as they’ve been working at doing…..a weakened remainder of Turkey will be allowed in- The rest will form the US/Israel desired, supported and sanctioned “Greater Kurdistan”

In May 2023, Hungary’s president Viktor Orban went to Doha to attend the Qatar Economic Forum. He was asked why his ruling alliance, Fidesz-KDNP, which dominates the parliament (135 out of 199 seats), refuses to ratify Sweden’s entry into NATO. Orban bluntly said that he would not back down because “Sweden unfairly expresses a damaging opinion about the situation of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary.”

Sweden is certainly not endearing itself to Turkish concerns

When asked about NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, an integral figure in pushing Sweden’s NATO bid, Erdogan remarked: “While Stoltenberg was expressing these views to us, unfortunately, at that time, terrorists were demonstrating in the streets again in Sweden,” adding that “now, we cannot approach this work positively within this table.”

The presence of individuals linked to the PKK has hindered Sweden’s ability to acquire NATO membership following the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which broke Sweden and Finland’s neutrality after decades of refraining from joining any security bloc.

Despite Ankara’s continued block of Sweden’s ascension, Turkiye officially granted Finland eligibility to join NATO at the end of March.

Turkiye remains indecisive about Sweden’s proposal, claiming Swedish officials have not taken the necessary measures to crack down internally on members of the PKK and allied Kurdish militia groups, many of whom continue to reside in Stockholm.

Jewish News Service

January 30, 2023 / JNS) The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Monday warned Americans of possible “imminent retaliatory attacks” in the country in response to several recent incidents of Koran burning in Europe.

“The U.S. government cautions its citizens of possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists against churches, synagogues and diplomatic missions in Istanbul or other places Westerners frequent, especially in the [city’s] Beyoglu, Galata, Taksim and Istiklal areas, (attack took place there Nov. 22) ” said the embassy in a statement.

Previously covered

Erdogan’s re-election would serve Putin

For Russia, Turkey is the “gateway to the rest of the world”

The war in Ukraine, for example, has contributed to the Turkish and Russian leaders moving closer together, confirms foreign policy and energy expert Aydin Sezer. “For Russia, Turkey is like the gateway to the rest of the world. The Kremlin values its relationship with Ankara very highly.”

In Russia, on the other hand, the image of Erdogan and his government is good, says Turkish political scientist Umit Nazmi Hazir, who conducts research in Moscow. “Putin and Erdogan have known each other for twenty years. They are both familiar with each other and can communicate directly.” This naturally makes it easier to communicate their individual concerns.

Should the opposition win the elections in Turkey, this would also run counter to Russian interests, according to Hazir. The new government would possibly be more democratic: “Russia’s ability to control Turkey would diminish. Moscow would then have to talk to several actors.”

The US cannot allow this cooperation to stand. By getting friendlier to US interests leadership into Turkey they (US) can throttle Russia. And further plunder Ukraine!

Western media outlets are already managing western minds with the idea that Erdogan will not win this election. I think he will. He’s popular in Turkey. And the Turkish population is surely aware of western duplicity and the targeting of their country

The original and actual topic is there is no evidence. It’s an irrelevant claim to imply there is no conclusive evidence. There is simply no evidence at all. Period. Not circumstantial- Not documentary. Not demonstrative. Nothing

Washington Post

World leaders were quick to blame ( guilt via media propaganda) Moscow for explosions along the undersea natural gas pipelines. But some Western officials now doubt the Kremlin was responsible.

But now, after months of investigation, numerous officials privately say that Russia may not be to blame after all for the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines.

Some went so far as to say they didn’t think Russia was responsible.

But even those with inside knowledge of the forensic details don’t tie Russia to the attack, officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share information about the progress of the investigation, some of which is based on classified intelligence.

Given the relatively shallow depth of the damaged pipelines — approximately 80 yards at the site of one explosion — a number of different actors could have pulled off the attack, possibly with the use of submersible drones or with the aid of surface ships, officials said.

The leaks occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. European nations have been attempting to map which ships were in the region in the days before the explosions, in the hope of winnowing the field of suspects.

Makes the most sense to look at Sweden, Denmark and their allies.

How about a NATO partner?

“We know that this amount of explosives has to be a state-level actor,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said in an interview this month. “It’s not just a single fisherman who decides to put the bomb there. It’s very professional.”

But a handful of officials expressed regret that so many world leaders pointed the finger at Moscow without considering other countries….

But as the investigation drags on, skeptics point out that Moscow had little to gain from damaging pipelines that fed Western Europe natural gas from Russia and generated billions of dollars in annual revenue.

No shit sherlock!

Sweden and Finland have launched a new diplomatic offensive to convince Turkey to approve NATO membership for the two Nordic states after months of thorny negotiations turned what was supposed to be a smooth path to alliance expansion into a major diplomatic headache.

This was never supposed to be a ‘smooth path’ to alliance expansion. I had my doubts all along.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg traveled to Turkey this week to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and lobby him to move forward on the two countries’ accession. New Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is expected to travel to Turkey next week to drive the message home.

Turkey is the last of NATO’s 30 members that has voiced opposition to both countries joining; 28 member states have already approved membership for Sweden and Finland, and Hungary has signaled that its parliament will greenlight the bids in the coming months. ( We’ll see if that happens?) New members require unanimous signoff from existing NATO members.

The Turkish government has said it wants Sweden and Finland to do more to crack down on individuals it considers security threats, including Kurdish militants and those allegedly involved in the country’s 2016 botched coup attempt, and it has focused most of its criticism on Stockholm.

Behind the scenes, U.S. and European diplomats are becoming increasingly frustrated with what they see as Turkish intransigence over an issue that should have been resolved months ago (In their opinion)

“These two countries must take important steps on combatting terror because one of the biggest threats NATO is facing today is terrorism,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday after talks with Stoltenberg, adding that Turkey supported NATO expansion in theory. “It’s not possible to say right now that the two countries have completely implemented all aspects of the memorandum.”

“Our counter-terrorism work is a priority, and we take our commitments seriously,” a spokesperson for the Swedish foreign ministry told Foreign Policy in an email response. “We have communicated this to all allies, including Türkiye, and to the NATO Secretary General.”

The “terrorism” issue is of core concern to Erdogan ahead of next summer’s election, as he must court the vote of Turkish nationalists who are deeply opposed to Kurdish separatism. Many experts believe that, despite the recent diplomatic full-court press, Turkey will defer any decision on Nordic NATO membership until after its 2023 elections.

I have real doubts about the seriousness of Sweden’s counter terrorism work. Finland isn’t credible on terrorism issues either.