Turkey Imposes An Additional Condition For Supporting Sweden's Entry Into NATO. EU Must Accept Turkey's Membership

 

BBC News: Sweden Nato membership: Turkey calls for new EU membership talks 

Turkey's president has said his country will support Sweden's bid to join Nato if the European Union opens membership talks for his country. 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would state his demand at the Nato summit in Lithuania later this week. He added that he had informed US President Joe Biden of his intentions. 

 Mr Erdogan's comments come ahead of a meeting with Sweden's prime minister and Nato's secretary general in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. 

Turkey is a Nato member and so has a veto over any new country joining the group.  

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WNU Editor: Brussels was quick to respond .... Brussels rejects Erdoğan's demand: NATO membership and EU accession are two 'separate' processes (Euronews).

 Turkey Imposes An Additional Condition For Supporting Sweden's Entry Into NATO  

Erdogan urges Europe to revive Turkish EU membership talks in exchange for Swedish NATO accession -- AP  

Turkey, Sweden Locked in Talks to Break Impasse Over NATO Membership -- Reuters  

If EU embraces Turkey, Ankara to back Sweden’s NATO bid: Erdogan -- Al Jazeera  

Why is Erdogan linking Sweden’s Nato bid to Turkey’s EU membership? -- Middle East Eye

Turkish President Erdoğan Pulls Out Of European Summit Of EU Leaders On The Ukraine War

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters following his victory in the second round of the presidential election at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey May 29, 2023. (Reuters)  

Politico: Erdoğan pulls out of European summit  

The Turkish leader, who won reelection Sunday, was expected to attend the meeting, which is meant as a show of solidarity against Russia. 

CHISINAU — A massive gathering of European leaders on Thursday has suffered its first high-profile casualty, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pulling out at the last minute. 

The Turkish leader, who won five more years at the helm of his country in second-round elections on Sunday, will not travel to Moldova for the one-day summit, according to three officials involved in the preparations. 

The so-called European Political Community (EPC) — a new collective launched in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine — is meant to draw together European leaders beyond the EU. More than 40 European leaders will be present Thursday, including those from all 27 EU countries plus non-EU countries like Britain and Turkey, as well as the Western Balkan nations. 

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WNU Editor: Even though he won another 5 year term as President this weekend, the pressure is on Erdogan to change his policies .... Biden links Turkey's F-16 sale with Sweden's NATO bid in call to Erdogan (Al-Monitor). More here .... US ratchets up pressure on newly re-elected Erdogan ‘to change course’ (Arab Weekly). 

My guess is that he does not want to be pushed around at a conference where many of these EU leaders are not friendly with him in the first place.

US And EU Want Turkish Banks To Disconnect From Russia's Payment System

Kyrill Zykov/ Agency "Moskva"  

The New Voice Of Ukraine: US, EU trying to force Turkish banks to disconnect from Russian payment system  

The United States and EU are increasing pressure on Turkey over concerns that the country's banking sector is a potential loophole through which Russia can evade sanctions. 

The United States has focused its attention on Turkish banks that work with the Russian payment system Mir, the newspaper noted. At the same time, Brussels is preparing a delegation to express its concerns directly to Turkish officials. 

“We will send a very clear signal that financial institutions of third countries should not connect to the Mir payment network, because, as you know, this involves some risks of evading sanctions,” said one of the publication’s sources. 

The pressure on Turkey has come as Western countries have shifted from imposing new sanctions to tightening restrictions that are already in place. 

“We need to close the loopholes,” another FT source said.  

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Update #1: US and EU step up pressure on Turkey over Russia sanctions (Financial Times)  

Update #2: U.S., EU step up pressure on Turkey over Russia sanctions - FT (Reuters)  

WNU Editor: I am sure that when this EU delegation arrives in Turkey they will use the threat of sanctions against Turkish banks to force Ankara to comply.

EU Preparing To Blacklist Turkish Airlines And FlyDubai For Flying Migrants To Belarus

Globally 24: Turkish Airlines risks EU ban due to border crisis in Poland 

Turkish Airlines and FlyDubai could be banned in the EU for migrant flights to Belarus after the attack on the Polish border escalated into an international incident. 

“The EU will … investigate how to sanction, including through a blacklist, airlines from third countries that are active in human trafficking,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday (November 8th) after people tried to break into the Polish border earlier in the day. 

The two top EU officials, Josep Borrell and Margaritis Schinas, will also travel to countries such as Armenia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to execute them to stop flights to Minsk, von der Leyen added. 

Most of the “trade” is done by the Belarusian airline Belavia, which is already banned in the EU.  

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Update: Turkish Airlines facing EU ban amid Poland border crisis (Ahval)  

WNU Editor: Turkish airlines is denying these claims .... Turkish Airlines rebuffs claims of fueling migrant crisis as 'without any basis' (Hurriyet Daily News). But recent flight records show that Turkish national airline Turkish Airlines has been flying migrants from Istanbul to Minsk twice a day.

EU Parliament Votes To Suspend Talks For Turkey To Join The EU

 

Euractiv: EU parliament calls for the suspension of Turkey’s EU talks 

The European Parliament called on the European Commission on Wednesday to suspend Turkey’s EU accession talks. 

The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 480 in favor, 64 against and 150 abstentions. 

The European People’s Party group (EPP) tweeted “The plenary adopted with an overwhelming majority the toughest resolution on Turkey ever.” 

“We insist that the accession talks with Turkey must be formally suspended, if the current negative trend is not urgently and consistently reversed,” the centre-right group added.  

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Update #1: European Parliament adopts highly critical report on Turkey (The Parliament) 

Update #2: European Parliament Votes To Suspend Talks For Turkey To Join EU (Zero Hedge)  

WNU editor: This is an understatement .... EU-Turkey relations at 'historic low point,' MEPs warn (Euronews).