Message from Turkey to Sweden and Finland
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın attended the Summit of the Diplomatic Academy Camp within the scope of the Winter Theme Camps of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which is traditionally organized every year by the General Directorate of Credits and Dormitories.
Speaking here, Kalın said: “We have agreed on some principles on how this membership process will be approved. To do this, we established a triple mechanism and held two meetings of this mechanism. Actually, we were going to hold their third meeting in Brussels this week, but due to events in Sweden, we postponed this meeting to a later date. The date will be determined based on future developments and the steps to follow. “There is still no exact date,” he said.
“IF THE TERROR IS CLEANSED, TURKEY WILL NOT RESPOND”
Stating that Turkey supports the principle of NATO enlargement and desired measures can be taken, the membership of Sweden and Finland can be viewed positively, Kalın said:
* “We have declared that we establish objective principles from the beginning. What is this? We have clearly and clearly stated that unless terrorist elements posing a threat to Turkey’s national security are eliminated, the accession process will not progress, especially in the Swedish context. Of course, during this time, in our meetings with my Finnish and Swedish counterparts, as well as with the NATO Secretary General, we always said ‘if action is taken, we will not leave it unanswered’.
* oriented towards Turkey; When FETO, PKK and similar organizations disappear from here, when these places are no longer safe havens for these organizations, Turkey will not leave them unanswered. In principle, we support the principle of NATO enlargement. If terrorism is eliminated, Turkey will not leave it unchallenged. We express that, as a member and ally of the NATO alliance, we can evaluate this process positively, but there are steps that must be taken.”
“THERE IS NO DELAY CAUSED BY TURKEY”
Noting that Sweden is preparing a new law and needs time, Kalın said that there were some delays due to Turkey. Underlining that the recent events in Sweden are unacceptable, Kalın used the following statements:
* “As you know, Sweden made a constitutional amendment last year and is rewriting the anti-terror law under this constitution. They said they needed some time for this. We have also publicly expressed our allies; “We said there is no blockade or delay from Turkey.” They say that once the Swedish side has drafted this anti-terror law and put it into practice, it will be able to meet Turkey’s demands in a more comfortable and secure legal framework. If you take positive steps in this regard, Turkey will not leave you unanswered.
* The principles and steps established within the framework of consensus and tripartite mechanism are taken. We expressed that we would take positive steps if Turkey’s concerns on this issue were resolved, but if there was progress in the opposite direction, unfortunately, the events that took place in Sweden in the last month went in this direction. It is unacceptable to us. do or allow this, no matter what the legal framework or definition of freedom may be.”
“WE SEE THE F-16 PROGRAM AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO INCREASE OUR AIR POWER”
“We also hear the prerequisite phrases with the F-16 program. If they put it as a condition in congress with a senator like Menéndez, they lose their neutral position. “This is never acceptable for Turkey,” Kalın said, making the following assessments:
* “If they put a condition in Congress and respond positively to Greece’s request, they will annul the NATO neutrality decision. We see the F-16 program as an alternative to increase our air power. If the United States imposes conditions and adopts that approach, we will continue on our own path. Our hands are not tied. We continue to develop our own opportunities and capabilities to ensure our national security.
* We know the intent and desire of the Biden administration, but if it gets bogged down in Congress, we will assess accordingly. Turkey continues to look for other alternatives. Great strides have been made in the field of UAV technology in recent years. Kizil Apple has started flights, I hope it will be in inventory soon”.
WHEN TO MEET SYRIA?
Kalin also said about the meeting with Syria: “It may be in this month, a clear place and date are not yet known.”