Sweden needs to take concrete steps in order to secure Türkiye’s ratification for its NATO membership bid, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Wednesday, a day after Finland officially joined the bloc.
"The steps Sweden has taken so far are insufficient; they must cooperate on the fight against terrorism," Çavuşoğlu told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, adding that Turkish and Swedish officials discussed the steps Stockholm must implement at their meetings during the summit.
"We have expressed from the start that Türkiye had fewer problems with Finland and they have taken action to that end," Çavuşoğlu said. "And Türkiye’s ratification of Finland’s NATO membership is essentially proof of our support to NATO’s open-door policy."
Finland became the 31st member of the NATO military alliance Tuesday in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country got its blessing from Türkiye, the last NATO member to approve its membership after the Turkish Parliament ratified it last week following months of disputes that left Sweden behind.
Several sticking points, largely Ankara’s concerns over the harboring and tolerance of PKK/YPG and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) terrorists in Sweden, have held up the process. Türkiye demands their extradition and effective cooperation against these groups to greenlight Stockholm’s bid.
Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday further revealed he had discussed Sweden's NATO bid and the issue of the U.S. selling F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Ankara’s request from Washington for 40 F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits has been hog-tied due to several reasons, chiefly Türkiye’s decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air missile defense systems and objections from the U.S. Congress over their potential usage by Turkish forces.
‘Unacceptable meeting’
The Turkish diplomat also commented on a recent controversy between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Jeffry Flake who drew the president’s anger for meeting with main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who is challenging Erdoğan in May 14 elections.
"It’s unacceptable for an ambassador to meet a standing candidate. Their meeting was contrary to diplomatic practice as Türkiye faces elections in less than two months," Çavuşoğlu said, echoing Erdoğan who on Monday accused Washington of covertly backing his opposition and declared he wouldn’t receive Flake anymore.
"Flake mustn’t appear as though he’s taking sides. No matter which country they belong to, an ambassador shouldn’t do this. I’ve conveyed to Mr. Blinken my thoughts about this, as well," Çavuşoğlu said.
Ties with Egypt
Turning to Ankara’s thawing relations with Egypt, Çavuşoğlu further revealed he agreed in principle to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Türkiye this month.
Last month, Çavuşoğlu and Shoukry spoke on the phone to schedule his visit to Türkiye.
The two also gave each other best wishes for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Earlier last month, Çavuşoğlu and Shoukry met in the capital Cairo, where the two discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues, and agreed to maximize diplomatic ties.
Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt have been at the level of charges d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup, which overthrew then-President Mohammed Morsi.
Israeli raid
Çavuşoğlu went on to express "strong condemnation" of Israeli police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, saying that Israel had "violated" the sanctity of the compound during Ramadan and "took a step that would disrupt its historical status."
On Wednesday, Israeli police said they detained 350 Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, with witnesses saying they used excessive force, including tear gas.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.
"We had warned them to prevent such provocations, especially during Ramadan," during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to Türkiye following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye and his meeting with Erdoğan, Çavuşoğlu added.
"Israel should end such attacks immediately," he added.
Noting that a "dialogue" process with Israel has restarted, Çavuşoğlu said: "But our engagement with Israel certainly cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause." He added: "In that regard, we never compromise our principles or our beliefs."
Russia-Ukraine
As for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Çavuşoğlu confirmed he will discuss developments in the war with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during his visit to Türkiye this week.
At a summit with Lavrov, Turkish and Russian delegations will discuss commerce, energy and bilateral relations as well as the conflict in Syria, the Russia-Ukraine war, the need to increase humanitarian aid to Syria after the Feb. 6 earthquakes and the Karabakh issue between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
A quadrilateral meeting of deputy foreign ministers from Syria, Türkiye, Russia and Iran took place in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday.
Çavuşoğlu added that Ankara is working with the United Nations to solve issues regarding grain and fertilizer exports via the Black Sea, which the two brokered between the warring countries to help curb a global food crisis.
Çavuşoğlu also expressed "concern" about the warring parties' preparations for further attacks.
Türkiye pursues close ties with Russia as it seeks to mediate a solution for the conflict with Ukraine while trying to balance ties with the Kremlin and the West, which is increasingly opposing Moscow as the conflict in Ukraine escalates.