Turkey will not give in to Sweden, says Finland NATO
In an exclusive interview with TRT, Turkish President Erdogan reiterates that Ankara expects “concrete steps” from NATO, Sweden and Finland to deal with terrorist groups.
Türkiye will not compromise on the issue of terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, repeating that Ankara expects “concrete steps” from NATO and hopes that Sweden and Finland would stop supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK, PYD/YPG and FETO.
“Concession from Türkiye should not be expected against Sweden, Finland’s NATO bid unless Ankara’s security concerns are met,” Erdogan said in an exclusive interview with Türkiye’s public broadcaster TRT on Monday.
“PKK, YPG/PYD and FETO will not be supported. This is our red line. Nobody should expect us to compromise on that, says Erdogan.
US involvement in terrorist groups
On US Central Command (CENTCOM) sympathy for YPG/PKK terrorists, Erdogan condemned the US’s continued cooperation with terrorists in northern Syria.
“America’s involvement in terrorist groups will end up falling into the hole it dug,” Erdogan said.
On Sunday, CENTCOM offered condolences and paid tribute to a PKK/YPG terrorist killed near Qamishli in northern Syria.
Türkiye has long criticized the US for working with the YPG/PKK against Daesh, stressing the pointlessness of using one terrorist group to fight another.
READ MORE: US Central Command hails PKK/YPG terrorists killed in Syria
Turkish President Erdogan in exclusive interview to TRT:
– PKK, PYD, YPG, FETO should not be supported, this is our redline
– These terrorist groups are on NATO’s register now, this was the most successful part of the NATO summit
– We have concrete expectations from Sweden and Finland pic.twitter.com/LQ13CknzbN— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) 25 July 2022
Urges the parties to respect the grain deal
Regarding tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, Erdogan said Russia’s weekend attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa “regrets” Türkiye, adding that “a failure here would discourage us all”.
“We expect everyone to take ownership of their signatures and act according to their responsibilities,” Erdogan said, urging the parties that signed an agreement last week to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports from the Black Sea to respect and implement the pact.
“With this agreement, the effects of the global food crisis, which is reaching serious dimensions, will begin to ease,” he added.
Turkish President Erdogan in exclusive interview to TRT:
– Our bilateral relations with Russia must continue on mutual benefits
– The fight against terror was one of the most important issues on our agenda during the meeting with President Putin and Raisi pic.twitter.com/6cLnKbRlJs— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) 25 July 2022
Erdogan reiterated that Turkey remains committed to moving forward with its diplomatic efforts to ensure ceasefire and peacekeeping between Russia and Ukraine.
On Friday, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark agreement to resume grain exports through the Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny after months of blockade due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, now in its sixth month.
According to the agreement, a joint coordination center was established in Istanbul to carry out inspections at the entrances and exits of ports and to ensure the safety of the routes.
READ MORE: Türkiye promises to continue diplomatic work for peace between Russia and Ukraine
Source: TRTWorld and agencies