No further information on Turkey’s ratification schedule was received at the NATO meeting in Bucharest.
Bucharest
Turkey There was still no new information on the timetable for NATO ratification when the foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (green) and Sweden’s foreign minister Tobias Billström met their Turkish colleagues Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Bucharest.
Haavisto commented on Tuesday’s meeting on Wednesday morning when he arrived at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Bucharest.
He described the spirit of the conversation as matter-of-fact.
“It was confirmed that […] As far as Finland is concerned, these conditions have already been met in many ways, which was previously agreed upon,” he said.
“Turkey has no exact date of ratification to announce in this situation.”
Haavisto said on Tuesday that he had spoken with, among others, the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain and Canada in connection with the NATO meeting.
“Yes, the mood among all key actors is that now is the time for Finland and Sweden to join in,” he said.
Haavisto was asked whether people in the NATO circle are frustrated with the situation.
“I have said that this kind of activity requires the nerves of a cow,” Haavisto stated.
He said that he appealed to NATO’s open door policy and that, in principle, an applicant who meets NATO’s criteria should become a member.
“And NATO itself emphasizes this open-door policy in all meetings, and of course, in the case of Finland’s and Sweden’s membership application, it is being tested.”
Haavisto also briefly commented on Turkey’s accelerated attacks in Syria and Iraq and the possible ground attack that Turkey is lurking.
Turkey has carried out large-scale strikes in Syria and Iraq since the bombing in central Istanbul in mid-November. This attack killed six and injured dozens.
Referring to a possible Turkish ground attack, Haavisto said that he cannot comment on future or speculative security events.
However, he said that he had been in contact with Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu before regarding the operation aimed at Syria and Iraq.
“I expressed my concern that civilians are the target of such an operation, and of course Finland cannot accept any such operation where civilians are the target.”
Turkey’s response, according to Haavisto, was that Turkey aims to precisely target its operations on groups that are are responsible for the Istanbul attack.
Turkey is has blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish Fighting Group (YPG) for the Istanbul attacks. The PKK and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the YPG is a part, have denied involvement.
Read more: Turkey also blames the Istanbul attack on the Syrian Kurds, the PKK denies its involvement
The airstrikes have reportedly hit the al-Holi camp or outside it, among other things. Former or current members of ISIS and their family members live in the camp of tens of thousands of people.
Read more: Medical Organization: Al-Holi camp has become a huge prison camp
Both Turkey’s NATO partner, the United States and Russia, have expressed their concerns about the operations in the region.
United States has warned that the strikes are jeopardizing progress in the fight against ISIS in the region. The Kurdish forces of the SDF, supported by it, played a key role in defeating the ISIS caliphate.
Turkey considers the YPG, a key part of the SDF, to be a terrorist organization and an extension of the PKK.
In Finland, Turkey’s attacks have sparked a debate about, among other things, whether Finland will moderate its criticism in order not to jeopardize the NATO process.
Chairman of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance Jussi Saramo filmed earlier In HS, the Finnish discussion regarding the relations between Turkey and Hungary was “new-Finnished” and said that the relationship between the two countries is “on”.
Also Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström commented on a possible Turkish ground attack in Bucharest on Wednesday.
Billström reminded that Turkey has had many problems with terrorism in its region.
“Naturally, the Swedish side must understand the concern that the Turkish side has,” he said, referring in particular to the attack in Istanbul.
However, he also emphasized the need to try to avoid civilian casualties in attacks.
On Wednesday Together with Billström, Haavisto meets the Hungarian Foreign Minister in Bucharest Péter Szijjártón.
Haavisto expected to hear more about Hungary’s ratification schedule.
“I have been in regular contact with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó in the meantime, and of course when the schedules have shifted, I have expressed my disappointment that we have been waiting for this Hungarian ratification during this year,” Haavisto said.
Hungary has told, that Finland’s and Sweden’s memberships will not be processed until next year. Earlier, a message was given to Finland that the matter would be taken care of by the end of the year.
Read more: Expert: Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO process can affect Turkey’s operation in Syria
Read more: “Too big to fail” – HS asked in Istanbul and Ankara how Turkey views its NATO role
Read more: Saramo of the Left: Finland is living a “time of neo-Finnishness” because Turkey does not dare to be criticized
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