Karen Donfried
Washington is “working to clarify Turkey’s position” after president Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the top American diplomat for Europe at the State Department told reporters on Friday, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.
The idea of the two nations becoming members of the transatlantic alliance had received “broad support" from member countries, Karen Donfried, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, said.
The White House and Pentagon also said the United States is working to “better understand” Ankara’s stance.
Turkey is a valued NATO ally; that has not changed, diplomats in Washington made it clear.
Ankara has been involved and helpful in trying to get dialogue going between Russia and Ukraine ,and they have provided assistance to Ukraine.
Donfried also reminded that Turkey and Sweden have worked very effectively in the NATO context, as Sweden has been a partner of NATO.
"And, again, I think we here in the United States support a NATO application by Finland and/or Sweden, and we will work together with the other 29 NATO Allies on that process should Finland and Sweden in fact formally choose to apply for NATO membership in the coming days or weeks," she added.
In the meantime, Erdogan yesterday told journalists that “we do not have a positive opinion” about the two countries joining the alliance, and said they shelter “terrorist organizations.”
The issue of Finland and Sweden's NATO bid was also discussed during a phone call between President Biden, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, according to officials.
Biden "underscored his support for NATO’s Open Door policy and for the right of Finland and Sweden to decide their own future, foreign policy, and security arrangements," the White House said in a readout.
In a call with reporters, Donfried said the topic will also be discussed at the NATO ministerial meeting over the weekend in Berlin as foreign ministers from Turkey, Sweden and Finland among others will be attending.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also will attend the NATO meeting in Berlin.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
-
Adalyat Verdiyev, the head of the civil defense staff at the public legal entity Center for Public Health and Reform under the Ministry of Health, and a military expert, has been arrested. On November 22, during a media tour to the liberated territories, Verdiyev filmed and published information and images on his social media accounts revealing Azerbaijani Armed Forces' combat positions in the heights, deployment sites, coordinates, and operational conditions of the border troops. This disclosure caused significant damage to the interests of state security and defense capability. This was stated in a report from the General Prosecutor’s Office.
-
On Monday, the Baku Appeals Court considered the appeal of Talysh researcher Iqbal Abilov against the extension of his detention for another four months. The defense argued that the decision to extend Abilov's detention was unjustified, lawyer Fariz Namazly told reporters.
-
"Black Monday in Georgia: Police and special forces guard the doors behind which the 'slaves of Georgian Dream' are destroying our Constitution and mocking our Parliament." This is how Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili commented on the convening of the new parliament on Monday, which is not recognized by the opposition.
-
Well-known Georgian activist Samira Bayramova was prevented from leaving the plane in Yerevan. She was on a WAW airline flight bound for Tbilisi, but due to bad weather, the plane made an emergency landing in Yerevan. In a post on her Twitter account, Bayramova (an ethnic Azerbaijani) wrote that border guards told her, "Your nationality is a problem."
Leave a review