Turkey says first Swedish extradition falls short of demands
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DefenceTalkTurkey’s justice minister Thursday said Sweden’s pledge to extradite a Turkish convict fell far short of Stockholm’s commitments under a deal paving the way for its NATO membership bid. NATO member Turkey is threatening to freeze Sweden’s attempts to join the Western defence alliance unless it extradites dozens of people Ankara accuses of “terrorism”. A […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-says-first-swedish-extradition-falls-short-of-demands-79217/
Erdogan renews threat to ‘freeze’ Swedish, Finnish NATO bids
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DefenceTalkTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday renewed his threat to “freeze” the NATO membership bids of both Sweden and Finland unless the military alliance complies with Ankara’s conditions. At a NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June, Erdogan called on the two countries to “do their part” in the fight against terrorism, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/erdogan-renews-threat-to-freeze-swedish-finnish-nato-bids-79104/
Relief and concern in Sweden after NATO deal with Turkey
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DefenceTalkSweden may have clinched a surprise deal with Turkey paving the way for its NATO membership, but Kurds and leftwing parties expressed concern Wednesday about the concessions made to Ankara. “We did not cave in to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan”, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said from the NATO summit in Madrid where the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/relief-and-concern-in-sweden-after-nato-deal-with-turkey-79048/
‘No problem’ for Russia if Finland, Sweden join NATO: Putin
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DefenceTalkRussia has “no problem” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. “We don’t have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine,” Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat. “We don’t have territorial differences,” the Russian leader continued. “There is nothing that could bother […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-problem-for-russia-if-finland-sweden-join-nato-putin-79054/
Slovakia to buy 152 Swedish combat vehicles
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DefenceTalkNATO member Slovakia, which shares a border with Ukraine, said Tuesday it plans to buy 152 tracked combat vehicles from Sweden’s BAE Systems Hagglunds as it steps up its military capabilities. “The government has approved this historic project for the armed forces,” Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said on his Facebook page. “We’re going to increase […]https://www.defencetalk.com/slovakia-to-buy-152-swedish-combat-vehicles-79057/
Finland, Sweden leaders to discuss NATO bid with Erdogan
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DefenceTalkFinnish and Swedish leaders will discuss their stalled NATO bids with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday at the start of an alliance summit in Madrid, Helsinki said on Monday. But Turkey said the four-way meeting, which will also involve NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, did not mean that Ankara was close to lifting its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-sweden-leaders-to-discuss-nato-bid-with-erdogan-79029/
Turkey says NATO summit ‘not the deadline’ for Finland, Sweden talks
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DefenceTalkTurkey on Monday said it did not view next week’s NATO summit as a final deadline for resolving its objections to Finland and Sweden joining the Western defence alliance. The comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top foreign policy adviser followed a round of urgent talks in Brussels that NATO leaders had hoped would […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-says-nato-summit-not-the-deadline-for-finland-sweden-talks-78992/
Turkey wants written response from Finland, Sweden over NATO bid concerns
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DefenceTalkTurkey said on Wednesday that it was waiting for a “written response” from Sweden and Finland to Ankara’s objections to their NATO bids. “We have transmitted our questions in writing to these two countries,” Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. “Now we’re waiting for their written responses,” he said. The two Nordic countries reversed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-written-response-finland-sweden-over-nato-78964/
Stalled Finnish, Swedish NATO bids may drag on: NATO chief
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DefenceTalkTurkey’s blockage of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership bids may not be resolved in time for the alliance’s summit later this month, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday. He said NATO was “working hard” to resolve “legitimate” issues raised by Turkey. Stoltenberg had previously insisted that the two nations would be welcomed “with open arms,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/stalled-finnish-swedish-nato-bids-may-drag-on-nato-chief-78961/
As Sweden woos Turkey, fears mount over what it will cede
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DefenceTalkSweden hopes to strike a compromise with Turkey to seal its NATO membership bid, but fears are mounting in the Scandinavian country that the government may sacrifice too much to get what it wants. “If you want to sell everything for NATO membership, then go ahead but I think it’s awful”, blasted Amineh Kakabaveh, a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/as-sweden-woos-turkey-fears-mount-over-what-it-will-cede-78838/