By Janet Ekstract
İSTANBUL (GOLFENHORN AGENCY) – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a press conference in Istanbul, Thursday evening to discuss the results of meetings they had earlier on that day in Istanbul, about the Ukraine-Russia grain deal and progress on Sweden and Finland’s future NATO membership. Stoltenberg praised the role he said Turkiye has played in restoring the momentum of the grain deal agreement after Russia had backed out. He also lauded Turkiye as a valuable member of NATO and said that Turkish officials have been instrumental in implementing diplomacy with Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, regarding Turkiye’s stance on NATO membership for Sweden and Finland, Cavusoglu said that though steps taken “so far” by Sweden and Finland are positive, regarding a tripartite memorandum the three countries had signed – he made it clear that further “concrete steps” need to be taken, in order for Turkiye to approve NATO membership for Sweden and Finland. As Cavusoglu highlighted: “For a full membership, all those steps need to be taken that are outlined in the Memorandum. It was really important that Sweden lifted the arms embargo. They have also amended a law in that regard. Right now, we cannot say that all those [steps] have been instituted and we do not have as our goal to do damage to NATO. That’s why we expect concrete steps to be taken by the two countries.” Cavusoglu added that the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland will be hosted next Tuesday in Ankara since he said “they expressed a desire to visit us.” During that meeting, he said that decisions will be reevaluated with regard to their NATO membership. He also said that Stoltenberg had requested that both Finland and Sweden be treated equally with regard to NATO membership.
For his part, Stoltenberg reiterated his stance on the Nordic countries’ NATO membership status when he said: “Both Sweden and Finland are committed to the Memorandum.” Stoltenberg said that a permanent joint mechanism has been established and that “more extraditions and expulsions are taking place and restrictions on arms sales to Turkiye have been lifted.” The NATO secretary-general added that both countries “are clearly committed to long-term security for Turkiye” and that this “sends a clear message to Russia that NATO’s door remains open.” Stoltenberg strongly emphasized that it is individual countries that decide on whether they will join NATO or not – a clear reference to the fact that no other nation can interfere in decisions on whether other countries become NATO members. He added: “It’s time to welcome Sweden and Finland into NATO.”
Concerning the grain deal, Cavusoglu said he visited African leaders who told him that if shipments of food and grain from Ukraine could not reach their continent, that millions of people would face a “hunger crisis.” The Turkish foreign minister praised Putin and Zelensky for what he called a “constructive approach” to resuming the grain deal. Cavusoglu said that he consulted with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ukrainian President Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. As Cavusoglu said, the grain deal needs to be renewed in 120 days. He said: “We have to ease the concerns of Russia but this doesn’t necessarity mean we are supporting Russia.” Cavusoglu added: “Unfortunately, the war goes on and becomes much more complex. If we can put an end to this war as swift as possible, by making use of diplomacy, it will, we believe, lead to a just peace that should be established within the bounds of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.” As Stoltenberg commented: “Hundreds of millions of people around the world depend on food and grain from Ukraine. If this food doesn’t reach the global markets, food prices will increase.” He added: I commend Turkiye for what they have done. Also, the president and foreign minister for enforcing the grain deal.” Stoltenberg reiterated that it is crucial that the grain deal “is renewed and extended and this shows the important role Turkiye has played in the conflict, not just with humanitarian support but by enabling diplomatic efforts.” Stoltenberg concluded the press conference with a stark caveat: “The increased prices and the problems we have seen in the global food market is not caused by sanctions. It is caused by the war itself, so President Putin should end the war. The lasting solution will be to end this war and that’s Russia’s responsibility to end this war.”
