UPDATE - Türkiye won't ratify Sweden's NATO bid unless conditions fulfilled: Ankara

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH AND HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye will not ratify Sweden's bid for NATO membership unless Stockholm fulfills its obligations under last year’s tripartite memorandum, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

"If one day Sweden fulfills its obligations, then we will sit down and see. But at the moment, it is not possible for us to say yes to Sweden's NATO bid under these conditions," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint news conference in Budapest with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.

Türkiye postponed the next tripartite meeting slated for February in Brussels with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids, Cavusoglu said, because everything should be "transparent."

"It is unacceptable that Ankara's security concerns are not being met, that is, (concerns on) the fight against terrorism," he said.

Unfortunately, these terrorist groups, including the PKK/PYD, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) are very active, especially in Sweden, he said.

According to the 2022 memorandum, Finland and Sweden must stop such allowing terrorist group activities in their country. It is "open and clear. We want neither more nor less," he said.

The new government in Sweden has not taken any steps to prevent terrorist and Islamophobic provocations, he said, adding that on the contrary, "the latest provocations, the activities of the PKK/YPG, the propaganda of the terrorist organization, fundraising for terrorist activities, and the recruiting of individuals continue."

"Now, it is not possible for us to say yes to a country's NATO membership until these are met," he added.

-‘Burning holy books is unacceptable’

Turning to Finland, Cavusoglu said from the beginning Türkiye has "a more positive view of Finland."

"Finland says I will not allow it (attacks on the Quran). Because this is a hate crime, a crime against humanity. It is a racist approach. These are also evident in European values," he said.

As a Muslim, Cavusoglu said he believes that different faiths and holy books should be given the same respect.

On the war in Ukraine, Cavusoglu said: "There will be no winner in this war, and we believe that it should end at the (negotiating) table. We will continue our efforts for this."

"There must be a peace that can be accepted by both countries," he said, adding this will not be possible without engaging with both countries.

On Friday, far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, in front of a mosque in Denmark.

Just days later he burned another copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden during a police-approved protest.

Szijjarto also criticized the attack on the Quran, saying: "As a Christian, as a devout Catholic Christian, burning and insulting the holy book of another faith is in no way acceptable."

He added: "I am sorry but calling the burning of the holy book of another faith freedom of speech is nonsense. Now, if a country wants to join NATO and gain the support of Türkiye, then it needs to be a little more careful."

Paludan also announced that he would burn a copy of the Muslim holy book every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.

About the Ukraine war, Szijjarto said: “Peace should be established as soon as possible and that initiatives made in this context should not be stigmatized as Russia-friendly."

The war can only be ended by negotiations, as Ankara's successful initiatives proved, and Hungary supports Türkiye continuing its steps for peace, he added.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, 2022.

Under a memorandum signed last June between Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland, the two Nordic countries pledged to take steps against terrorists to gain membership in the NATO alliance.

In the agreement, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to terrorist groups such as the PKK and its offshoots, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), and extradite terror suspects to Türkiye, among other steps.

Unanimous agreement from all NATO members – including Türkiye, a member for more than 70 years – is needed for any new members to be admitted to the alliance.

Türkiye says the countries, particularly Sweden, need to do more, especially in the wake of provocative terrorist demonstrations and burning of copies of the holy Quran in Stockholm.

- Ties between Türkiye, Hungary

Discussing cooperation in the economy, trade, defense, energy, tourism, and education with his Hungarian counterpart ahead of the joint press conference, Cavusoglu said they decided to "elevate our relations to the level of Advanced Strategic Partnership."

"Our friends will start working on a draft. In addition to our cooperation in energy, the economy, and other fields, we also agreed to include security, defense, and culture as priority issues in this draft," he said.

The trade volume approached $3.5 billion. The interest of Turkish investors in Hungary has risen, Cavusoglu said, adding that this means that Hungary offers "important opportunities for investors. The Hungarian government gives very strong support to Turkish companies."

Economic cooperation with Hungary on projects in Africa continues, he said, adding that Türkiye will continue to support African countries in various fields, especially in the health sector, in the coming period with Hungary.

On stronger energy cooperation, he said: "Türkiye will provide all kinds of support for the supply of gas from Azerbaijan, additional gas to be extracted in the upcoming period, to Hungary, some Southeastern European countries, and our friends. We also agreed with Azerbaijan on this issue."

Praising Hungarian support for Türkiye's relations with the EU, Cavusoglu stressed that Türkiye's efforts to end the war in Ukraine will always continue under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Cavusoglu also said: "We will be honored to host Hungarian President Katalin Novak in our country in March. We have started our efforts to hold the 6th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting here in Hungary."

Hungary's Szijjarto emphasized the importance of The TurkStream natural gas pipeline for Hungary’s natural gas supply, saying the pipeline is the only line in Europe operating at 100% capacity between the East and West, and 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas reached Hungary last year.

Szijjarto also expressed his "firm support" for steps taken by Türkiye in border protection, adding that it is also important to create the necessary conditions for people who left their homes due to the war in Syria to return.