It is a fact that Turkey is using every opportunity given to it, to bargain and gain, either financially or politically, in view of the upcoming presidential elections.
The role of the Alliance's "bad and reactionary child" is not unknown to Ankara. The purchase of Russian missile systems was an example of the balancing policy that Ankara wants to apply, with the consequence, however, of being excluded from the F-35 program, which Greece aspires to join, according to the recent statements of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the US Congress.
These statements, together with the positions on the Cyprus problem, provoked a strong reaction from the Turkish side, which went so far as to criticise the US senators for their attitude towards the Greek prime minister.
The major issue, however, at this stage, is Ankara's "veto" of Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership requests.[/B]
The major issue, however, is Ankara's "veto" of Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership requests. CNN, which has direct information from the U.S. government on international issues and developments in the alliance, analyzes Recep Tayyip Erdogan's and Turkey's stance and what Ankara is aiming for.
CNN first reports that "Turkey surprised its allies" and blocked the membership request of the two Scandinavian countries, which seemed certain to go ahead.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not take a "positive" view of the Scandinavian countries' desire to join the alliance, saying they had "hostels for terrorist organisations". He told his party's MPs in Ankara on Wednesday that he expects NATO members to "understand, respect and support" Turkey's security concerns. Turkey, which joined the alliance three years after its founding in 1949 and has the group's second-largest military, has said it will not support the offers if its demands are not met.
The accusations of "supporting terrorists"
Erdogan accused the two countries of hosting members of the separatist militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK. The PKK, which seeks an independent state in Turkey, has been engaged in an armed struggle with that country for decades and has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey.
The crisis brought to the fore longstanding Turkish grievances against Western nations and NATO allies, and gave Ankara an opportunity to use its position in the alliance to extract concessions. Turkey has complained about the lack of support it has received in its fight against Kurdish militants, whom Ankara perceives as the top threat to its national security. It has accused Sweden of hosting its rivals and providing support to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, whom Ankara considers an extension of the PKK.
Ankara also says the two nations have not responded to extradition requests. The fugitives are accused of links to the PKK as well as FETO the group led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey believes was behind the failed 2016 coup attempt (a charge Gulen denies).
Finland and Sweden expressed optimism on Tuesday that common ground can be found with Turkey over its objections. Swedish Finance Minister Mikael Dammberg told public broadcaster SVT on Monday that his country is not a "friend of terrorism" and that it takes "everything to do with terrorism very seriously." "We will of course use diplomacy, we will clear up any possible uncertainties," he said."
Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said Saturday that her country, like the rest of the EU, considers the PKK a terrorist organization. The government has said it is ready to remove any obstacles to talks with Turkey. Ankara has also asked Sweden and Finland to lift an arms embargo imposed on Turkey in 2019 after its military offensive in northeastern Syria. Turkey launched the operation against Kurdish-led YPG forces that have been allied with the United States and other Western nations in their fight against ISIS. The attack drew condemnation from the United States and the EU and led several European countries to impose an arms embargo on Ankara.
"We would not say yes to those who sanction Turkey to join NATO," Erdogan told reporters Monday night. "Because then NATO would cease to be a security organization and become a place where representatives of terrorist organizations gather," he added."
Turkey's presidential election
The Turkish president is no stranger to fiery rhetoric, especially during election season. A boost on the domestic front could help at the polls. Turkey goes to the polls next year and experts believe the current state of the economy high inflation and a currency that has lost nearly half its value in the past year will cost Erdogan at the polls.
The "bad" relationship with Biden
Analysts say Turkey's veto of NATO can be used as leverage not only against future members, but also against current members.[BR]"It may not be all about Sweden and Finland," Asli Aydintasbas, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an article. "The president almost certainly sees this as a good time to air his grievances with existing NATO members, especially with the Biden administration, which has kept the Turkish leader at arm's length."
A key issue may be the Turkish president's frustration at not being able to establish a working relationship with U.S. President Joe Biden as he did with his predecessors, according to Aydintasbas. Erdogan complained to reporters last month that he and Biden did not have the relationship he had with Presidents Trump and Obama. "Of course, there are some meetings from time to time, but they should have been more advanced," he said."
Source: skai.gr
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