Sweden set to follow Finland and join NATO

[Chris]

Sweden set to follow Finland and join NATO
Any decision on NATO enlargement requires approval by all 30 allies and their parliaments. Ankara, a NATO member for 70 years, will be under immense pressure to yield.
By REUTERS
Published: MAY 15, 2022

NATO and the United States said on Sunday they were confident Turkey would not hold up membership of Finland and Sweden in the Western military alliance, as the two Nordic states took firm steps to join in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply to join NATO, while Sweden's ruling Social Democrats announced an official policy change that would pave the way for their country to apply within days.

"Today the Swedish Social Democratic Party took a historic decision to say yes to apply for a membership in the NATO defense alliance," tweeted Sweden's foreign minister, Ann Linde. "The Russian invasion of Ukraine has deteriorated the security situation for Sweden and Europe as a whole."

Turkey, which had surprised its allies in recent days by saying it had reservations about Finnish and Swedish membership, laid out its demands on Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers in Berlin. Ankara said it wanted the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militant groups present on their territory, and lift bans on some sales of arms to Turkey. "I'm confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn't delay the membership," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

more............. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-706739

 

[Carl]

The poor Kurds just keep getting kicked around. Most of them are really good and caring people.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Not until Turkey either gets booted out or succeeds in getting what they want for voting yes.

 

[daygo]

The poor Kurds just keep getting kicked around. Most of them are really good and caring people.

Not until Turkey either gets booted out or succeeds in getting what they want for voting yes.

Like it.

 

[athenasius]

I think the other price tag is US made jets that Turkey wants to buy.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-sa...ld-serve-us-interests-nato-letter-2022-04-06/

"WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The Biden administration believes a potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would be in line with U.S. national security interests and would also serve NATO's long-term unity, the State Department said in a letter to Congress that fell short of explicitly supporting the deal.

Turkey made a request in October to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. Washington has so far refrained from expressing any opinion on the sale, saying it needs to go through the standard arms sales process.

The sale of U.S. weapons to NATO ally Turkey became contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made defense missile systems, triggering U.S. sanctions as well as Turkey's removal from the F-35 fighter jet program.

The State Department letter, first reported by Reuters, is dated March 17 and signed by the agency's top legislative official Naz Durakoglu. She acknowledges the strained relations while at the same time describing Turkey's support for and defense ties with Ukraine as "an important deterrent to malign influence in the region.""

This was in April. I'm pretty sure Turkey has made it clear that if they get the jets and other goodies that the objection to Sweden and Finland will magically disappear!

And the Kurdish situation too but I bet the biggy is the jets. The Bible says the Medes (modern day Kurds) are around to finish off Babylon of the Tribulation period so they survive all that the Turks and others do to them.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Diddly-dee. It's always something. You scratch my back, I look the other way when you poke the nuclear-sized bear.

 

[daygo]

Diddly-dee. It's always something. You scratch my back, I look the other way when you poke the nuclear-sized bear.

Yep, the ugly face of politics.