30 Jan, 2023 00:14
NATO hopeful could be ‘shocked’ by Türkiye – Erdogan(article below related)
Ankara may give ‘different responses’ to Stockholm and Helsinki on their membership bids, the president has said
Türkiye may rule differently on the NATO applications of Finland and Sweden, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an audience of youth in the Bilecik province on Sunday, hinting that “Sweden would be shocked when we respond differently to Finland.”
“But Finland should not make the same mistake,” the Turkish leader warned.
The two Nordic nations had both reached an agreement with Türkiye in June on joining the US-led military bloc, pledging not to provide support to groups Ankara has designated as terrorists, to extradite terrorism suspects, and to swear off arms embargoes involving any of the trio. In return, Ankara has been expected to support their NATO membership.
However, that pact fractured earlier this month, when Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned a Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Sweden and vowed to destroy the holy book of Islam every Friday until Stockholm is allowed into NATO.
Erdogan addressed the provocative act in his remarks on Sunday, asking “Did [Sweden] wipe out Islam by burning our Koran?…They just showed how ignoble they are. Denmark did the same.”
Paludan burned additional copies of the Koran on Friday, this time in front of a mosque, the Turkish Embassy, and the Russian Consulate in Copenhagen.
While Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party leader’s actions as “deeply disrespectful,” he stopped short of calling for any official punishment for Paludan, who had police permission for the stunt under Stockholm’s protections for freedom of expression. Türkiye condemned the country’s leniency, arguing the act “clearly constitutes a hate crime.”
While Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed last week that a planned meeting to discuss NATO membership with both Finland and Sweden had been postponed indefinitely, Erdogan told his audience on Sunday that Sweden nonetheless had been given a list of 120 people to extradite as “terrorists” in order to “enter NATO.”
Last week, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto suggested Helsinki might join the military bloc alone if its neighbor were to be blocked – a comment he quickly walked back. Both nations’ foreign ministers confirmed on Saturday that their accession was still underway.
Addressing the two countries’ NATO bids, Russia has said the expansion of the bloc would not make the European continent more stable or secure, and while Moscow noted it “does not have problems” with Stockholm or Helsinki, it has nonetheless pledged to adjust its military posture in its northern region if the organization adds two new members.
29 Jan, 2023 15:48
Russia may be linked to Stockholm Koran burning – Finnish FM
(Total lie, why does Finland need Sweden in NATO, were they promised more money if they both entered)
Moscow has slammed the suggestion as “disgusting”
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has claimed that Russia may have been behind the public burning of Korans in Stockholm, Sweden last week. He added that the stunt could have been orchestrated to derail the country’s bid to join NATO.
On January 21, Rasmus Paludan, an anti-Islam activist and leader of a minor Danish far-right party, Stram Kurs (Hard Line), set the Muslim holy book on fire outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. Ankara strongly protested the action, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying on Monday that Sweden could no longer rely on Türkiye’s support for its accession to the US-led military bloc.
On Friday, Paludan burned copies of the Koran in front of a mosque, the Turkish Embassy, and the Russian Consulate in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Speaking to Finnish TV channel Yle on Saturday, Haavisto floated the idea that Russia could be linked to the book burning. “This matter is under investigation. Various ties in the activist’s circle have been uncovered,”Haavisto said. “I cannot say with certainty … But we have been shown a concept of how to act in order to inflict maximum damage [to the NATO membership bid].”
The Russian Foreign Ministry harshly condemned the Koran burning. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that Haavisto’s suggestion that Moscow may have been responsible for the incident was “disgusting to watch.”
Finland and Sweden ditched their longstanding policies of non-alignment and jointly applied to join NATO last year, citing Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/news/570663-turkiye-sweden-finland-response-different/
https://www.rt.com/news/570656-finland-russia-koran-burning/