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
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Turkey needs more concrete steps from Sweden for NATO bid: FM

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 30 Nov 2022 15:36
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Turkish Foreign Minister says he told his Swedish and Finnish counterparts that Ankara hasn't seen concrete steps in exchange for ratifying their NATO bids.

  • x
  • Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met on Tuesday with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Bucharest
    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met on Tuesday with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Bucharest.

Turkey said on Wednesday that Sweden's new government was more determined to address Ankara's security concerns in return for NATO membership but called for "concrete steps".

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met on Tuesday with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Bucharest.

Ankara has accused the two Nordic nations -- especially Stockholm -- of providing a safe haven for Kurdish groups it deems "terrorists" and held back on ratifying their NATO bids despite an agreement in Madrid in June.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had told NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg that until Finland and Sweden take the necessary "steps", Turkey will not ratify their membership of NATO.

Cavusoglu told reporters in Bucharest that "the statements (coming out of Sweden) are good, the determination is good but we need to see concrete steps." 

"We told them we haven't seen concrete steps on these issues," including the extradition of criminals and freezing of terror assets, he pointed out.

What were the promises?

On June 28, the two Nordic countries signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding with Turkey in which they pledged to address Ankara’s concerns over their stance toward the PKK, YPG, and the Gulen movements.

In the memorandum, the two Nordic countries had agreed to lift their embargoes on weapons deliveries to Turkey, which were imposed in response to Ankara's 2019 military incursion into Syria.

Related News

Turkish FM expects Erdogan to gain over 56% in 2nd round

Turkey demands its investment in F-35 be paid back by the US

Erdogan's office confirmed in late June that Finland and Sweden agreed to abandon "the embargo in the field of the military-industrial complex" of Turkey, adding that the two countries agreed to amend their national legislation "in the field of counter-terrorism and the defense industry."

One request vs. a long list of conditions
While #Turkey had a long list of conditions from #Finland and #Sweden, all the two Nordic states wanted was to join #NATO.
Here's your guide to understanding on what basis the agreement was made. pic.twitter.com/Aw7Jtu7frp

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2022

Finland and Sweden will also ban "fundraising and recruitment activities" for the Kurdish militants and "prevent terrorist propaganda against Turkey," Erdogan's office said.

The statement mentioned that the two Nordic countries also agreed to cooperate with Turkey on the deportation and extradition of "terrorism suspects".

Turkey announced on July 21 the establishment of a "permanent committee" to meet with Finnish and Swedish officials in August and review whether the two countries are meeting Ankara's conditions for ratifying their NATO membership aspirations.

On his part, Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom spoke optimistically about Tuesday's meeting.

'Progress in line'

"I have to say that I felt after this meeting that yes, there is progress in line," Billstrom said, adding that "we are moving forward with the implementation of a trilateral memorandum which was signed in Madrid."

Finland and Sweden dropped decades of military non-alignment and scrambled to become NATO members in May, after the start of the Ukraine war.

The decision requires a consensus within the US-led defense alliance, but only Turkey and Hungary are yet to give consent to their membership.

Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary's parliament plans to ratify NATO membership for Finland and Sweden in early 2023.

Earlier in November, the head of Orban’s office, Gergely Gulyas, said "Finland and Sweden are our allies, and they can count on us."

Read more: Sweden will not permit NATO nuclear weapons on its soil: Minister

  • Mevlut Cavusoglu
  • Turkey
  • Nato
  • Finland
  • Sweden
  • Nato Alliance
  • Ankara

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

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