Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sayyed Ali Khamenei: The model Trump is presenting to Arab countries is absolutely a failed one
The leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei: Trump's remarks source of shame, embarrassment for him, Americans
Al-Zaidi to Al Mayadeen: There is a pressing need to restructure the regional landscape, a challenge facing the Baghdad Summit, and we hope it will succeed in doing so
Al-Zaidi to Al Mayadeen: Among the urgent issues on the summit’s agenda are ending the war in Palestine and addressing the complex situation in Syria
Al-Zaidi to Al Mayadeen: We hope the summit will yield reasoned solutions that serve the interests of regional stability
Al-Zaidi to Al Mayadeen: We hope that the summit will be an opportunity to achieve the long-awaited breakthrough in all regional issues
Iraqi presidential spokesperson Abdullah al-Zaidi to Al Mayadeen: The significance of the summit stems from the critical timing under which it is being convened
Yemeni Ministry of Health: The Zionist aggression on the ports of Hodeidah and Salif in western Yemen has killed one and injured 11
Yemenia Airways flights to and from Sanaa International Airport resumed, following the return of 134 passengers from Queen Alia Airport in Jordan
Russia's Putin invites league of Arab states, secretary general to take part in 1st Russian-Arab summit in October: Kremlin

Turkey cannot positively assess Finland, Sweden NATO accession plans

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 13 May 2022 17:52
  • 3 Shares
4 Min Read

Turkey stresses that it cannot make an assessment of the situation between Sweden and Finland on the one hand and NATO on the other as the Nordic states try to join the alliance.

  • x
  • NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Ankara is closely following the developments surrounding plans for the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, stressing that he could not assess the situation positively yet.

"We are following the process. But we do not have a positive opinion on this matter, because, before that, there was a mistake in connection with Greece. You are aware of Greece's behavior in the alliance towards Turkey," President Erdogan underlined.

He also pointed to how Scandanavian countries "have a habit of showing 'hospitality' to terrorists, letting them into parliament," citing that as the reason why Turkey could not look positively at the prospect of Stockholm and Helsinki joining the alliance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in March that the alliance would "fast-track" the membership applications of Finland and Sweden were they to make the decision of joining the alliance.

Both countries officially confirmed on Thursday their plans to join the alliance, with the US and Germany pledging to support the Nordic states if they choose to apply for membership.

Ahead of a critical month for Sweden and Finland, June - when the two countries are likely to submit a request to join NATO - the Swedish Social Democrats are divided over the country's possible application to join the NATO alliance, ending nearly 200 years of neutrality.

Finland, alongside its neighbor to the West, Sweden, is expected to request NATO membership in the coming months - before summer. Their accession, if it were to happen, would redefine European security and would be met with opposition from Russia, which has been very vocal about its opposition to NATO's expansion.

Related News

Kim Jong Un commands air force drills, pushes for war readiness

Two killed, three injured in Las Vegas Athletic Club mass shooting

Though Moscow opposes the alliance's expansion, it does not see the accession of Finland and Sweden into the bloc as an existential threat, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov underlined. However, Russia will work on its Western flank to make it more sophisticated in terms of security in the face of NATO creeping in on its northern borders. 

The Russian deputy representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, said Thursday the two countries would potentially become targets for the Russian military and force Moscow to take action if they are admitted to NATO.

A joint Finland-Sweden application, to be submitted to NATO ahead of its Madrid summit on June 29, is supported by advocates of NATO membership. This would give NATO time to respond with an invitation to join.

Kremlin denies reports about gas supplies shut down in Finland

As relations grow tenser between Moscow and Helsinki over NATO, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov assured that reports about the possible shutdown of Russian gas supplies to Finland as of Friday, stressing that they were nothing but "another media hoax".

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported Thursday, citing a lawmaker, that the country's key politicians had been warned about the possible suspension of Russian gas supplies on May 13 due to the dispute over Helsinki's NATO membership.

Finnish legislators Harry Harkimo "confirmed" the information saying that the suspension of gas supplies to Finland was previously expected on May 23, when Helsinki was to make the next payment to Russia for gas. 

"Gazprom supplies natural gas to various consumers in Europe, including countries that are NATO members. And Gazprom has repeatedly demonstrated its reliability as a company that supplies energy resources to the European continent. Therefore, most likely, these reports are just another media hoax," Peskov told reporters. 

The official noted that there were no such plans to suspend supplies, redirecting further questions to Gazprom.

Russian energy giant Gazprom had announced that it completely suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria's largest natural gas distribution company Bulgargaz and Polish oil and gas company PGNiG, as the companies failed to pay for gas in rubles amid tensions between Moscow and the West about only accepting payments for energy supplies in the national currency.

  • United States
  • Turkey
  • Nato
  • Ukraine crisis
  • Rubles
  • Finland
  • Europe
  • Russia
  • United Nations
  • Dmitry Peskov
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
  • Jens Stoltenberg
  • Ukraine
  • Vladimir Putin
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP )

Gaza casualty figures mask a much bigger horror, new study shows

  • Politics
  • 11 May 2025
Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza
MENA

Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Trump administration planning to send 1 million Palestinians to Libya

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' concerned, says US withholding info about indirect Iran talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual ceremony at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in occupied al-Quds on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu cancels Vatican visit over fears of ICC arrest

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS