Intense diplomacy before Vilnius :

Intense diplomacy before Vilnius :

NATO Heads of State and Government will meet on July 11-12 in Vilnius, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Lithuania. The US and NATO administrations are making efforts to remove the obstacles to Sweden's entry into NATO until the summit.

Aydın Hasan -  diplomatic traffic between Turkey and the USA; Despite a series of problems between the two countries, it gained momentum again after the election. It was agreed to hold the fifth meeting of the Turkiye-USA Strategic Mechanism. Among the hot topics of the meeting agenda, the F-16 file, the lifting of the embargo on defense industry products, the termination of the support given to the terrorist organization in the north of Syria, and Sweden's NATO Heads of State and Government Meeting to be held on July 11-12 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It is expected that the issues of NATO membership will come to the fore.

Turkiye-US relations; After the civil war broke out in Syria, it entered a period of serious tension in 2013. Tension continued to rise after the treacherous coup attempt of the FETO terrorist organization on July 15, 2016. Despite Turkey's disrupting the terror corridor plan in northern Syria by launching Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria on August 24, 2016, US support for the YPG continued. Due to the S-400 missile defense system acquired from Russia, the United States suspended Turkey from the F-35 program in July 2019. Furthermore, the Presidency of Defence Industries was subject to CAATSA sanctions.

STRATEGIC MECHANISM :

One of the critical steps towards diplomatic resolution was accomplished at President Recep Tayyip Erdoan's meeting with US President Joe Biden in Rome in October 2021. During the meeting, it was decided to establish a Turkiye-USA Strategic Mechanism. After Russia's military action against Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022, the contact traffic between Turkey and the United States increased. The first meeting under this agreement was conducted on April 4, 2022, at the level of deputy minister in Ankara. So far, four meetings have taken place, including two with ministerial involvement. The mechanism's most recent meeting was conducted on January 18.

AGENDA SWEDEN :

NATO Heads of State and Government Meeting will be held on 11-12 July 2023 in Vilnius, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Lithuania, in a geography that Russia attaches importance due to its proximity to its territory. Lithuania is a country located on the Baltic Sea coast, opposite Sweden. 

The US administration and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will strive to remove the obstacles to Sweden's entry into NATO until the summit. Turkiye had separated the files of Finland and Sweden, which had requested NATO membership. Finland's accession to NATO was accepted at the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly at the end of March. Finland joined NATO on April 4, following Turkey's approval. Turkey's approval is required for Sweden to join NATO.

PHONE TRAFFIC :

Diplomatic traffic between Turkiye and the USA accelerated again after the election. US President Biden called President Erdogan on May 29 and congratulated him on his election. One of the issues that Biden focused heavily on during the meeting; was the NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius. After the talks between Erdogan and Biden, there was also a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken also brought up Sweden's NATO membership during the meeting.

AGENDA SWEDEN :

NATO Heads of State and Government Meeting will be held on 11-12 July 2023 in Vilnius, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Lithuania, in a geography that Russia attaches importance due to its proximity to its territory. Lithuania is a country located on the Baltic Sea coast, opposite Sweden. The US administration and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will strive to remove the obstacles to Sweden's entry into NATO until the summit. 

Turkiye had separated the files of Finland and Sweden, which had requested NATO membership. Finland's accession to NATO was accepted at the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly at the end of March. Finland joined NATO on April 4, following Turkey's approval. Turkey's approval is required for Sweden to join NATO.

PHONE TRAFFIC :

Diplomatic traffic between Turkiye and the USA accelerated again after the election. US President Biden called President Erdogan on May 29 and congratulated him on his election. One of the issues that Biden focused heavily on during the meeting; was the NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius. After the talks between Erdogan and Biden, there was also a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken also brought up Sweden's NATO membership during the meeting.

CALL TO 'CONFIRM' Turkiye AND HUNGARY

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that they have fulfilled all the criteria for NATO membership and called on Turkey and Hungary to confirm their membership. Comparing Sweden's NATO journey to a "marathon", Billstrom said that this run is nearing the end. Sweden's anti-terrorism law came into force yesterday. Responding to Billstrom's statements, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, “A very clear message to our Swedish friends! Meet your duties under the Tripartite Memorandum and take tangible actions to combat terrorism. Only then can other issues be resolved."

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