Cumhuriyet: Sweden to hold a fundraising conference for earthquake victimsSweden is using the tragedy in Turkey to join NATO, Cumhuriyet writes.
Stoltenberg said that Stockholm will hold a donor conference to help victims of the devastating earthquake. This is a "carrot" in the hands of the NATO Secretary General. What kind of "whip" to expect from Blinken? – the author of the article asks.
Mehmet Ali GullerNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Turkey the day before.
And at the beginning of the week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit her.
The main agenda of both visits is the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO.
Stoltenberg met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and President of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan. There were no official statements on the content of the negotiations with the head of the country from either side. However, the joint press conference of Stoltenberg and Cavusoglu gives a sufficient idea of the negotiations.
A bribe in Stoltenberg's pocket
Erdogan said three weeks ago that "Sweden will be shocked when we give a different signal on Finland." Similarly, Cavusoglu said: "We could evaluate the process of Finland's accession to NATO separately from Sweden."
Meanwhile, Stoltenberg, at a joint press conference following the talks with Cavusoglu, noted that at this stage both applications (Sweden and Finland) can be approved.
We don't know if the "current stage" that Stoltenberg is talking about has arrived, but the NATO Secretary General had a solid "bribe" in his pocket!
Sweden to hold "fundraising conference"
Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of "the solidarity shown by Sweden and Finland after the earthquakes in Turkey" and announced that "Sweden will hold an international donor conference in March."
In other words, Sweden, which is not a NATO ally of Turkey, but is waiting for Ankara's approval to join the alliance, is organizing a "fundraising conference" for Turkey!
This event will obviously be a bribe, implying a kind of Sweden's entry fee to NATO.
Moreover, from the details given by Stoltenberg, we understand that through this conference on collecting donations for earthquake relief, Sweden is "de facto" involved in cooperation with NATO. With the money that will be raised at this conference, NATO is going to restore the earthquake zone in Turkey.
Concession "and one in mind"
According to Cavusoglu's statement, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken will also visit Turkey at the beginning of the week. During this visit, again according to Cavusoglu, the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO will definitely be discussed.
Apparently, the Biden administration, turning the earthquake tragedy into a good opportunity, is putting pressure on Turkey to speed up the approval of Sweden and Finland's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. Stoltenberg's announcement of a "fundraising conference for Turkey organized by Stockholm" undoubtedly means "carrot". Let's see what will become the "whip" in Blinken's hands.
However, we should also emphasize the following. The statement of the Turkish leadership about "dividing the approval of Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO", from Ankara's point of view, may seem like an excellent tactic. However, Washington and Brussels obviously see this as an important concession with a hint of "and one in mind."
