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Post by Admin on Jun 3, 2023 17:22:54 GMT
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn in for his third term as president of Turkey.
The country's long-time president won Sunday's vote, securing another five years in power.
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Post by Admin on Jul 10, 2023 20:12:00 GMT
Lithuania's capital is preparing to host a historic NATO summit. Ahead of the high-security gathering, Turkey put forth a new condition for approving Sweden's NATO membership.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country could agree to Sweden joining the alliance if the European Union resumes its long-stalled membership talks with Ankara. Erdogan made the comments before departing for Vilnius, where he is set to meet with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson later today. The two-day summit comes as NATO is carrying out its biggest revamp of defense plans in decades
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2023 0:41:34 GMT
CNN’s Nic Robertson breaks down NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s statement that Turkey has agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2023 18:05:51 GMT
STOCKHOLM -- The Swedish government decided Monday to extradite a Turkish citizen resident in Sweden who had been convicted in 2013 of drug crime in Turkey.
The move came as NATO-member Turkey continued to hold up Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.
The man, who had served his prison sentence and was living in Sweden legally, claimed the real reason for his extradition was that he was active in a pro-Kurdish political party and supported a group Ankara considers to be terrorists.
Sweden's Supreme Court said there were “no obstacles” to his extradition, and that the man was under investigation in Turkey for posting online manipulated photos of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which is punishable under Turkish laws.
Ankara has accused Stockholm of not doing enough to crack down on members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and others whom it considers extremists.
Last month, Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism laws. Swedish lawmakers included a prison term of up to eight years for individuals convicted of participating in an extremist organization in a way that is intended to promote, strengthen or support the group. The revisions took effect June 1.
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Post by Admin on Jul 11, 2023 23:56:48 GMT
The wait is (nearly) over. After more than a year of ups and downs since Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has agreed to back Stockholm’s bid to become the Alliance’s thirty-second member. The announcement came on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius after Erdoğan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson held a lightning round of negotiations. Erdoğan agreed to advance ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession to Turkey’s legislature, with Hungary expected to follow suit to complete the process. What changed Erdoğan’s mind? What’s next for the Alliance? Our experts on the ground in Vilnius and beyond share their insights. How done is this deal? The joint memorandum from Monday’s meeting spells out increased counterterrorism efforts by NATO to address Turkey’s security concerns and fresh support from Sweden for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, among other provisions—and came as a surprise, following Erdogan’s skeptical comments in recent days about the prospects for an agreement. “It is a typical Erdoğan move to take a maximalist position in a high-stakes negotiation, show readiness to walk, then compromise for progress on key demands,” Rich tells us. Not (yet) in writing is a looming deal for Turkey to buy F-16 fighter jets from the United States, a likely for Turkish approval of Sweden’s membership. “The practice of international relations is not an art for the purist,” says Dan. “If the Biden team made some understanding, I would look favorably on it.” Chris, who’s in Vilnius, notes that Erdoğan is only sending the decision on Sweden’s NATO accession to the Turkish parliament, which his party controls, so this is not a done deal. Erdoğan made a show of lending his support to an invitation for Finland and Sweden to join NATO a year ago in Madrid before drawing out the process until now. “There is a non-zero chance that some intervening circumstance (like another public Quran burning [in Sweden]) could serve as pretext for derailing the process again,” he says. “I want to be optimistic, but worry that I have seen this movie before. NATO should not spike the football until it is over the goal line.” With the action now moving to the Turkish legislature, Erdoğan “retains the ability to kill or delay accession if Sweden backs off on counterterror” measures that Turkey wants or if an F-16 deal doesn’t materialize, Rich adds. Nevertheless, there was a palpable sense of celebration and relief in Vilnius. “It is unclear how long it will take, but the agreement undoubtedly removes the risk of Sweden falling into a limbo situation—that is, being close to, but not fully in, the Alliance,” Anna tells us from the summit.
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