«At our meeting today, I told the Blinken that on the issues Cyprus – Turkey – Greece There had always been a balance. Recently, I told him that this balance had been lost. And they said they would ensure that this balance was maintained. The USA »They must stand up for rights and justice," said the Turkish foreign minister at a press conference following his meeting with his American counterpart.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also commented on Mitsotakis’s speech to Congress, downplaying the applause the Greek prime minister received, while maintaining that Turkey has nothing to be ashamed of.
«First of all, regarding Greece and Cyprus, let anyone who wants to applaud them do so wherever they want. The whole world and the UN know very well that it is the Greek Cypriot side that has been rejecting all plans and proposals for a solution for the past 55 years. This reality does not change. Everyone knows who rejected the Annan Plan. Everyone knows who walked out of the talks at Crans-Montana. So it doesn’t matter who applauds someone or where. Everyone who speaks before the U.S. Congress receives thunderous applause—and often more than once. That’s a tradition. It happens. We have nothing to be ashamed of.’.
What does Turkey want from Sweden and Finland?;
Regarding the critical issue of the two Nordic countries« accession to NATO, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: »What is it that we want? It is unacceptable for allies and countries seeking membership to support organizations that target us. For example, Sweden supplies them with weapons. They were given to fight ISIS, but they were used to attack us; our soldiers were killed with those weapons. It is also unacceptable for a country—or for those seeking to be our allies—to impose restrictions on defense products against another ally. We make it clear that these concerns must be taken into account. This must be taken into account by all countries, not just Sweden and Finland.”.
What does Turkey want from the U.S.?;
Similarly, as far as the U.S. is concerned, what Turkey wants—as the Turkish foreign minister pointed out—is for the sanctions to be lifted and for support for the Syrian Kurds to stop. «What we want from the U.S. is for the CAATSA sanctions to end. The U.S. must also stop supporting the PKK and the YPG. They must not support the division of Syria. Allies should not resort to imposing sanctions against one another,» he said.
«Let's hope there will be a meeting at the leadership level.»
Regarding Turkish-American relations, the Turkish foreign minister described the meeting as «positive,» while expressing hope that there would also be a summit meeting between Erdoğan and Biden. «I can say that it was a positive meeting. There will be meetings at the ministerial level, and we hope there will also be meetings at the leadership level. We want this mechanism to be results-oriented. The Foreign Minister’s response letter to Congress regarding the F-16s is significant. It emphasizes that this is important not only for Turkey but also for its ally, the U.S. At the moment, talks between military officials are proceeding well. So far, the majority of messages from Congress have been positive. Our colleagues are in contact. »On this issue, both the U.S. administration and we must continue the positive work of Congress,” Çavuşoğlu said, calling for candor.
«If we are constructively honest on all issues, we will see results. I don’t test anyone’s honesty. When they don’t keep their word, we say so openly. We’ve started a process; the proposal for a strategic mechanism came from Biden. We’ll see their honesty in action. If we can take steps in that direction, then there will be sincerity. I already believe there is sincerity; it would not be right to say there isn’t, nor would it be appropriate.» Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also referred to the normalization of relations with Israel, saying that this has a positive effect on the Jewish lobby in the U.S. «But it is not right to reduce our relations with the U.S. to that level and link them to this normalization,» he noted.
What Çavuşoğlu Told Blinken About the Two Countries' Accession to the Alliance
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated tonight that his country has legitimate concerns about its security due to the support, as he put it, provided by Sweden and Finland to «terrorist organizations.» For this reason, Ankara opposes the accession of the two Nordic countries to NATO, he explained.
In brief remarks made ahead of his meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken, in New York, Çavuşoğlu said that Ankara understands Sweden’s and Finland’s security concerns, but stressed that Turkey’s concerns must also be addressed.
In remarks made prior to the meeting between Çavuşoğlu and Blinken at United Nations headquarters, the Turkish foreign minister, commenting on Sweden and Finland’s applications to join NATO, said: «Turkey supported NATO’s open-door policy even before this war began. We have legitimate concerns about the possible accession of these two countries to NATO. They support terrorist organizations. They have also imposed restrictions on the export of defense products. We expressed our concerns to the two colleagues in Berlin with whom I spoke. We understand their security concerns, but Turkey’s security concerns must also be taken into account.».
Blinken Thanks Turkey for Its Support of Ukraine
Similarly, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that: «This is a process that we will discuss as allies and partners.» Blinken also said that there are many issues on the agenda, including Russia’s attack on Ukraine. «The U.S., Turkey, and all our allies have shown resolute support for Ukraine. We want Russia’s attacks to end. We are grateful for the solidarity». Blinken also stated that bilateral political and economic relations, global food security, and other regional and international issues will be on the agenda.
By Maria Zacharakis
