UPDATE - Next tripartite meeting with Sweden, Finland postponed due to 'current political environment': Türkiye

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY FOREIGN MINISTERS OF TÜRKİYE, SERBIA; ADDS BACKGROUND

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish foreign minister said Thursday that the next tripartite meeting slated for February with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids was postponed due to the "current political environment."

In this environment, a meeting, to be held under the June 2022 tripartite memorandum signed by Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden, is "meaningless," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a joint news conference with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, referring to the increased number of occasions where Sweden failed to fulfill its commitments under the deal.

"The purpose of this mechanism is to see which conditions in the memorandum are fulfilled or not. But this was postponed as it would not be a sound meeting because the environment in this situation would overshadow it," he said.

The first meeting of the Permanent Joint Mechanism established under the memorandum was held on Aug. 26, 2022 in Vantaa, Finland, while the second meeting on Nov. 26, 2022 in Stockholm.

So, there is "no use in that either," he said, adding that Sweden has not taken any serious steps to implement the memorandum.

Sweden must choose either to de-mine its route to joining NATO or step on those mines and blow up its chances, Cavusoglu stressed.

About the recent desecration of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, he said: "The vile attack in Sweden is a racist attack that has nothing to do with freedom of thought," adding: "The Swedish government has taken part in this crime by allowing this vile act."

The aim of the PKK/YPG terror group and the far-left parties supporting terrorism in Sweden is to prevent Stockholm from joining NATO, Cavusoglu said.

"There are politicians that I know from the Council of Europe, Finland, and Sweden, who believe in the far-left ideology. They also call me and say 'block the NATO membership of our countries'," he said.

On Jan. 21, Rasmus Paludan, an extreme-right Swedish-Danish politician, burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, under police protection and with permission from the authorities, drawing a wave of condemnations from across the Arab and Islamic worlds.

On the following day, Edwin Wagensveld, a far-right Dutch politician and the leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida, tore out pages from a copy of the Quran in The Hague. Wagensveld's video on Twitter showed that he burned the torn-out pages of the holy book in a pan.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, 2022.

But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye.

Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.

In the memorandum, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to the YPG/PYD and FETO, to prevent all activities of the terror groups, the extradition of terror suspects, to introduce new legislation to punish terrorist crimes, and not to implement national arms embargoes among the three countries.

Also, on Israel's attack that resulted in civilian killings in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Cavusoglu called on Israel to abandon "such attacks and provocations."

The Israeli side claims that this is a counter-terrorism operation, but there are also old women among the people killed there, he said.

Various provocations are ongoing since the new government took office in Israel, he said, expressing his condolences.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that nine people were killed and 20 injured in the Jenin refugee camp on Thursday, adding that an elderly woman is among the victims.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank in recent weeks amid repeated Israeli raids to detain what they say "wanted Palestinians" or to demolish Palestinian homes. The raids have sparked clashes with Palestinians, causing several fatalities.

- Türkiye-Serbia bilateral relations

Praising the two countries' relationship, Cavusoglu said: "We are experiencing the best period in our relationships. I had the opportunity to speak with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the phone shortly before. As Vucic said, our relationships are experiencing a golden age."

The trade volume between the two countries increased rapidly, nearing $2.5 billion last year, he said, recalling that the two countries have also set a target of $5 billion.

"We would like to hold the 4th Joint Economic Commission Meeting this year to discuss extendedly the dimensions of our economic cooperation," he said.

Speaking about the stability and peace in the Balkans, he said a new government is being formed not to increase the tension in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The role of Türkiye and Serbia is very important for stability and peace in the region, Cavusoglu added.

In particular, the tripartite mechanism among Türkiye, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been very beneficial, he added.

About the visa exemption between the two states, Serbia's Dacic said the bilateral ties continue based on mutual trust, reminding that visa exemption and free trade agreements were signed 10 years ago.

Enabling citizens of the two countries to cross state borders with a valid biometric ID card was discussed in the Serbian parliament, Dacic said, adding that "this will hopefully progress quickly" so that it can be applied in the upcoming tourism season.

"The EU asks us (Serbia) to re-apply the visa condition for Turkish citizens. We refused this because we do not think that it will be good for us. We know how important this visa exemption is for the entire region," he said.

Serbia is ready to do what is necessary for stability and peace in the Balkans, he said, underlining that Türkiye plays an important role in the region.

The two countries have signed many projects when it comes to investments and that many people are employed, Dacic said.

These projects also contributed to the further development of some regions in Serbia in terms of infrastructure, he noted, adding that, particularly, the Sarajevo-Belgrade highway is of great importance in this regard, he added.