ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called for Sweden and Finland to join NATO “as soon as possible,” despite his Turkish counterpart raising the possibility of a link between their accession and Turkey’s request for F-16s fighter jets.
Turkey has delayed adding the Nordic countries to the transatlantic defense alliance, citing terrorism concerns. Meanwhile, members of the US Congress have linked approval of the F-16 deal to Ankara withdrawing its opposition to NATO expansion.
“We are confident that NATO will officially welcome them soon,” said Blinken at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. “And when that happens, it will improve the security of every NATO member, including the United States, including Turkey.”
Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey’s position that it would be ready to approve Finland’s NATO entry ahead of Sweden. Turkey has complained about Stockholm’s toleration of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against Ankara for 39 years.
“Unfortunately, there are still PKK supporters in Sweden,” he said. “They recruit people and they finance terrorist attacks and conduct terrorist propaganda in Sweden…because they don’t want Sweden to become a member of NATO.”
While acknowledging that Sweden had made constitutional changes to meet Turkey’s demands, he said more needs to be done to “convince our parliament and our people”.
Ankara was also angered that Sweden allowed protests against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and failed to prevent an anti-Islam activist from burning the Koran, Muslims’ holy book, in a separate, solitary protest.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday he was “convinced that (Sweden and Finland) will unite”. He added: “Ultimately, it is a Turkish decision to decide on ratification, which has not changed.”
In Ankara, Cavusoglu made it clear that his country is opposed to the sale of F-16 jets being tied to the ratification of Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership, which all 30 members of the alliance must agree to. Only the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary still have to agree.
“It would not be right or fair to make two independent issues – the two countries’ NATO membership and the purchase of F-16s – dependent on each other,” Cavusoglu said.
“Under these conditions, it would not be possible for us to buy the F-16.”
Ankara has sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet after launching the project to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter after acquiring Russian air defense missiles.
Blinken underscored the US government’s support for the F-16 deal, saying it was “very important to ongoing NATO interoperability and in the national interest of the United States.”
Blinken also commented on reports that China is considering military support for Russia in its war in Ukraine.
“We are concerned that China is considering providing lethal aid to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, something we are monitoring very, very closely,” he said.
He reiterated that there would be “real consequences…if China provided lethal aid to Russia” or helped Moscow “systematically” circumvent sanctions, saying there was “real concern that China is considering doing just that.”
Without explaining these consequences, Blinken added that other countries, not just the US, would take similar action.
Blinken was in Turkey for the first time since his appointment two years ago. The trip comes after the country and neighboring Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 that killed nearly 45,000 people.
He met with US and Turkish military personnel and aid workers at Incirlik Air Base near Adana on Sunday. They have worked to provide vital aid and support to the disaster area. Blinken pledged an additional $100 million in aid to help Turkey and Syria, in addition to the $85 million announced for Turkey and Syria by US President Joe Biden days after the earthquake.
The US Secretary of State said Washington acted “within hours” of the disaster, dispatching hundreds of personnel and supplies so far.
But he said even ordinary Americans had reacted to “heartbreaking” images from the earthquake zone.
“We have nearly $80 million in private sector donations in the United States, (from) individuals. When I visited the Turkish Embassy in Washington, I almost couldn’t get through the front door because the boxes were piled high in the embassy’s driveway,” Blinken said.
“Turkey has a long way to go to support and rebuild the homeless… and we are committed to providing support.”
Cavusoglu welcomed US support after the quake.
“I want to thank them for not abandoning us during these challenging times,” he said.
On Sunday, Blinken took Cavusoglu on a helicopter tour over Hatay, one of the provinces hardest hit by the earthquake.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Blinken said on Monday. “Countless buildings, communities, roads damaged or completely destroyed.”
Incirlik, home of the US Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing, was a major logistics center for the distribution of relief supplies. Aid supplies from all over the world were flown into the base and sent by truck and helicopter to those in need, including in hard-to-reach villages.
Describing his meeting with U.S. Auxiliary and base military officials and search and rescue teams “from Los Angeles to Fairfax County in Virginia,” Blinken added, “You all saw the harrowing toll of this disaster. They are all committed to being there for our friends in this moment.”
Blinken met with President Erdogan later on Monday. In addition to the effects of the earthquake, they were to discuss Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO offers and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Andrew Wilks reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen contributed from Copenhagen, Denmark.