The Fate of the NATO Alliance: Turkey vs. Sweden: Turkey, Finland and Sweden to take a tougher line against terrorists

“We’re going to be able to call both countries officially our allies, based upon everything I know,” Blinken said. “There can be no doubt on anyone’s part that they are ready today to be members of the alliance.”

Multiple NATO officials and diplomats told CNN that the danger here is Turkey’s block feeding the Kremlin narrative that the West and NATO are divided. The alliance’s job at that point will be to make clear that even if they are not members, Finland and Sweden are now effectively in lockstep with NATO. They might not be members, but they are as close partners as it’s possible to be – and they are not neutral any more.

Turkey, however, is another matter. Ankara wants Finland and Sweden to take a tougher line against individuals within their respective borders who it is calling terrorists. Turkey’s wrath is focused on members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which goes by the acronym PKK, as well as a few other political groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of being “like guest houses for terror organizations,” but he is particularly unhappy with Sweden. Ankara wants individuals who lived in their territory to be extradited from the two countries.

A Conversation with Hungarian Ambassador of the United Nations, T.I. Pressman, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, and General Relativity

Mr. Pressman was previously an assistant secretary of homeland security, and ambassador to the United Nations for special political affairs. The White House was where he worked as the director for war crimes and atrocities.

Mr. Pressman said the meetings with Hungarian officials are usually civil and pragmatic in tone but that they start out with a host saying: “It’s wonderful to meet you.” I know you want to speak about gender progressive issues.”

Mr. Pressman said that the ability to play both sides when there’s a land war in Europe no longer exists. He urged Hungary to return to its historic role as a country unambiguously part of the West. The time had arrived for more clarity and more decisiveness when Putin launched his war on Hungary.

There are a few reasons Orban would want to drag his feet. Hungary’s rule of law record has been criticized by two Nordic countries. He addressed this in a recent interview, asking how “can anyone want to be our ally in a military system while they’re shamelessly spreading lies about Hungary?”

Hungary, which is to the south of Serbia and has a long history of ties with Russia and anti-Americanism, has historically looked favorably on the United States.

The NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Helsinki: Resolving the Turkey-Suzekiye War with the Swedish Government

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, that the candidacy ofFinland will be discussed in the meetings he has today.

He said that they discussed the matter with countries involved and NATO after the declaration about a different decision in relation to Finland.

Relations between Turkey and Sweden deteriorated after avuolu accused the Swedish government of being involved in the burning of the Quran.

“They have removed any restrictions on arms exports, strengthened their legislation on terrorism. A permanent mechanism has been established to work closely with Trkiye in the fight against terrorism, as Sweden is amending their constitution as well.

Stoltenberg added that “it’s the Turkish Government, the Turkish parliament, that decides on the issue over ratification, and it’s a Turkish decision alone.”

Editor’s Note: Marja Heinonen, a Finnish author of several books, has more than three decades’ experience as a journalist, editor and in academia, and holds a doctorate in communications. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

Our two countries have been allies in the military. Sweden is a very good defense partner of Finns. The two countries have been cooperating on defense since the 1990s. That close military cooperation is one of the reasons why, when many other countries in northern and eastern Europe rushed to join NATO, Helsinki and Stockholm chose to remain outside. We believed our defense needs were covered by Russia.

Finland also has robust military defenses which we developed as a matter of exigency, living in the shadow of a powerful Russian neighbor with whom we already went to war once before, back when it was part of the Soviet Union. Until one year ago, we Finns actually harbored the idea that our eastern neighbor had become a peace-loving trading partner, and no longer posed a threat to our national security.

In his meetings in Poland this week, the US President emphasized the importance of the article to the leaders of the so-called “Bruin Nine” countries as they were on the frontline of any potential hostilities with Moscow.

Finns vs. Sweden in the NATO application process: Implications of Turkey’s recent election results on the EU and the Middle East

As the application process proceeds this spring, political observers in Hungary say it’s likely Budapest will relent. Hungarian lawmakers have scheduled a vote on Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO bids in early March, and officials have signaled that they expect to approve both bids.

At the July NATO summit it is believed that Sweden will be sealed in its fate, and that Helsinki will eventually move ahead with its own plans.

For the last few months, that uncomfortable possibility has been openly debated in political and security circles, and among average citizens in my country of some 5.5 million people. Even though there is uncertainty regarding the future of both Nordic allies, officials from both countries are in no mood to back down.

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at a press conference in Stockholm this month that Helsinki would join NATO “hand in hand” with Sweden. There are, however, varying interpretations of “hand in hand.”

Finns think it makes more sense for us to go first, given the huge security risk that comes with having an 800-mile border with Russia. Others feel that in the end, it won’t make all that much difference if Finland joins first and Sweden joins a few months from now. But in an unsettled world, both nations are eager to close the deal as soon as they possibly can.

A survey by the Taloustutkimus polling group found a majority of Finns were willing to join the alliance ahead of Sweden.

Those threats may be what has led to a softening in the tone of the debate in recent days. The NATO Secretary- General said on Thursday that he has seen progress in the talks with Turkey about Sweden joining the alliance at the upcoming summit in July.

NATO diplomats are split on whether they think Turkey will budge before the July summit. Central to both schools of thought is this year’s Turkish election, perceived as the biggest political threat Erdogan has faced in years.

The image of a strongman who wins for the people of Turkey has been shattered, according to the Middle East Institute. There is anti-west and antiKurd sentiment in Turkey at the moment. This is a good topic for him to bang his drum and a dramatic U-turn would only make him look weaker.”

Turkey has been dependent on Russia for economic assistance after other countries imposed sanctions on Turkey because of their activities in Syria. Without Russian money, Erdogan would not be able to raise wages or provide financial support for students. He is now promising mass rebuilding, post-earthquake. Russia is still an attractive partner for Erdogan.

It is believed by many Western officials that the Turkish claims that Sweden and Finland hosted terrorists give them cover to not engage in the NATO debate.

Even though nothing will come from the talks, there is a discussion going on about how much political capital he will have to spend if he wins the election.

Turkey is bracing for more realistic demands than the handing over of terrorists, such as the lifting of sanctions or allowing Turkey to buy fighter jets, if this happens.

NATO, the West and the Ukraine: What do we really want to see in the next generation of a divided West? Why does Russia want to invade Ukraine?

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has publicly indicated he is not opposed to the Nordic nations joining, but keeps finding ways to stall a decision becoming official.

One of the reasons Putin wanted to invade Ukranian was to stop NATO expansion. It is still seen by most in the West as an attempt by the Kremlin to push a historically unaligned country into NATO.

Until the future of the alliance is figured out, it’s up in the air. The start of the Ukrainian conflict has allowed Finland and Sweden to pick a side. It seems unlikely that they would return to their previous positions if the war ended suddenly.

The risk for NATO and the broader Western alliance comes if they fail to join the alliance at all and the Kremlin can use it for propaganda purposes. Even if the war ends in a few days, the narrative of a divided West will still be important for NATO opponents.