Sweden NATO accession contingent on Turkey's EU membership: Erdogan
4 Min Read
Erdogan makes a series of comments to reporters on Sweden, F-16 jets, and the grain deal as he headed to the NATO summit in Lithuania.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to an assembly of the Justice and Development Party at the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Ankara, Turkey, June 21, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden's accession to NATO is contingent on Turkey's accession to the European Union.
"We want all the promises made to us to be implemented... Turkey has been made to wait for 50 years at the door of the EU. I say to these countries that keep us waiting, I will say this in Vilnius: first, open the doors for Turkey to the EU, then we will open the way for Sweden [to NATO], as they did earlier with respect to Finland," Erdogan said to a reporter before heading to Vilnius for the NATO summit.
The Turkish President also told reporters that he will look to work with US President Joe Biden to resolve the issue surrounding Turkey's purchase of F-16 fighter jets. The Turkish President believes that the US withholding the delivery of fighter jets to Ankara is directly related to the latter's refusal to greenlight Sweden's NATO membership.
"The respected [Joe] Biden said that he mobilized all his efforts on this issue. He wants the same from us… The issue with the F-16 is a matter of general strengthening of NATO against enemies. And there is a price, we paid $1.45 billion. We did not see any reaction. We will discuss this issue in Vilnius. I hope that at this meeting we will resolve this issue. We are saddened that the issue is connected with Sweden's membership in NATO. These are different issues," the Turkish President said.
Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program in April 2021 after purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense systems. However, the country was never compensated for its $1.45 billion dollar initial investment in the program.
Later that year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey had received a US offer to purchase F-16 fighter jets to make up for their investment. Since then, the issue has been stalled by the Biden administration.
Grain deal
"In the coming month, we are waiting for the visit of Putin. If this visit takes place, we will definitely discuss this topic [the grain deal]. Ukraine declares that it is ready to do its best. I do not expect that we will see a different position at a meeting with Putin," Erdogan told reporters.
On the other hand, a source familiar with the matter informed Sputnik that the current situation offers little optimism for a prospective extension of the grain deal beyond its scheduled deadline of July 17.
The anticipated discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are viewed as the sole glimmer of hope for this end.
Following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday, President Erdogan said he intends to discuss the grain deal with President Putin, either through a phone conversation or an in-person meeting. He also noted that he is expecting a visit from President Putin in the upcoming month, highlighting the urgency of the matter.
However, when contacted by Sputnik on Saturday, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that a phone conversation between Putin and Erdogan had not yet been scheduled. This further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed an UN-brokered agreement on July 22, 2022, to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertilizers from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which Moscow has agreed to extend multiple times despite calling out Kiev for its non-commitment of the deal's clauses.
