Türkiye will maintain constructive stance as long as security concerns met: Erdogan

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - Türkiye’s president responded Wednesday on Twitter to a tweet by US President Joe Biden, who thanked him for his “courage” in dropping his opposition to Sweden's entry into NATO.

Emphasizing in his post that Türkiye will continue to support the expansion of NATO and the strengthening of the alliance with sincerity, a sense of responsibility and a principled stance, Erdogan said: "I believe that the creation of strong solutions by our Alliance against all security challenges, especially the fight against terrorism, and the strengthening of ties between allies will play a major role in establishing regional and global peace."

"We will maintain our constructive stance as long as Türkiye’s legitimate security concerns and regional and global initiatives shaped on a win-win basis are taken into account. Thank you, Mr. President, for your personal support, well wishes, and compliments to the Alliance," he added.

Biden shared a video collage of his meeting with President Erdogan on his Twitter account, saying: "Yesterday, Türkiye reached a historic agreement on the admission of Sweden into NATO. President Erdogan, thank you for your courage, leadership, and diplomacy. This summit reaffirms our commitment to the NATO defense, and I hope we can continue to make it even stronger."

The 31 leaders of the military alliance met to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden's NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group's defense and deterrence, among other issues.

Türkiye has been a member NATO for over 70 years and boasts its second-largest army.