President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has once again said Turkey will not allow Sweden and Finladn’s NATO membership and has also criticized other European countries for “supporting terrorism.” “Do terrorist organizations hold demonstrations in many European countries like Sweden, Finland, France, and especially Germany? They do,” he told reporters after Friday prayers in Üsküdar, İstanbul. “They …
Croatia’s president has joined his Turkish counterpart in not supporting the admittance of Sweden and Finland into NATO, a position that could be a boon to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s opposition to the alliance expanding. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday said he joins Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in being against the Nordic countries’ …
Turkey Isn’t Putin’s Only Hope for Blocking NATO Expansion – Newsweek Read More »
Every member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has enthusiastically welcomed Finland and Sweden except one: Turkey, which on Wednesday blocked an early vote to begin accession talks. For reasons that are political, parochial and irrelevant to the decision, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a hard line in his efforts to derail the prospective …
Does Erdogan’s Turkey Belong in NATO? – Wall Street Journal Read More »
‘BIG MAN WITH A BAD TEMPER’ The bane of NATO’s cocktail parties has been humiliating the alliance for years—and it’s only getting worse. It’s no wonder Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a reputation for being the curmudgeon of NATO. You would be, too, if your international claims-to-fame included jailing some 13,000 people for “insulting” …
Russia benefits as Turkey slows down Swedish and Finnish applications to NATO and Hungary continues to block an E.U. embargo on Russian oil. BRUSSELS — Europe’s effort to stand up to Russia and Vladimir V. Putin, its president, is being slowed by two strongmen leaders insisting on the priority of their national interests and playing …
Strongmen in Turkey and Hungary Stall Unity in NATO and the E.U. – The New York Times Read More »
Once again, Turkey is the odd one out in the NATO alliance. The country’s Islamist strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is trying to turn what appears to be the most strategic move in NATO’s history into carpet-trading at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Erdoğan said on May 13 that his country is “not favorable” toward Finland and …
Why Erdoğan’s NATO Blackmail Is Subversion – Middle East Forum Read More »
Sweden and Finland’s historic bids to become NATO members have hit a roadblock after top Turkish officials took a tough stance against a Nordic expansion of the transatlantic alliance. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Swedish and Finnish delegations “should not bother” to travel to Ankara after Stockholm announced the two countries would …
Why does Turkey oppose Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership? | Al Jazeera Read More »