Turkish, Finnish foreign ministers talk NATO enlargement

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto on Thursday spoke over the phone and discussed the NATO enlargement process, according to diplomatic sources.

They also discussed the latest developments in Ukraine as well as the landmark Istanbul grain deal.

More than 10 million tons of Ukrainian grain have been shipped since Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul in late July.

It was extended in late November for another 120 days, once again through mediation efforts by Türkiye and the UN.

Cavusoglu, according to the sources, emphasized that Türkiye will resolutely continue its fight against terrorism as part of Operation Claw-Sword.

On Sunday, Ankara launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the YPG/PKK terror group which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.

The airstrikes came in response to a YPG/PKK terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul's crowded Istiklal Avenue that killed six people and left 81 injured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terror group's Syrian offshoot.