JABAR EKSPRES – Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Saturday that Sweden could become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) like Finland, if the country fulfills its commitments to fight terrorists.
Guler showed his support for the military alliance’s “open door” policy while meeting reporters in Brussels after a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
After Russia’s war in Ukraine, Sweden sought to join NATO. However, Turkey, a member for 70 years, rejected the Nordic country’s application out of concern, especially over the presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Sweden
Earlier this year, Turkey had ratified Finland’s applicati.on to join NATO, but deferred Sweden’s application.
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When asked to evaluate participation in the defense ministers’ meeting for the first time, Guler said that preparations for the next NATO conference would be discussed during the meeting.
NATO leaders will meet in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11-12 and allies are expected to support Ukraine in the long term to strengthen deterrence and defense.
“We once again, demonstrated our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, including Crimea,” Guler said.
“We also emphasized the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a ceasefire to prevent further destruction and human tragedy,” Guler continued.
Guler also said that NATO emphasizes the importance of diplomacy and is ready to play a role in this and in humanitarian assistance, as it has done so far.
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Guler said that within the framework of the Black Sea Grains initiative, brokered by Turkey to address the global food crisis, some 32 million tons of grains were shipped from Ukrainian ports to global markets by thousands of ships.
