After President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement on May 13 indicating that “they take a dim view of Sweden and Finland’s NATO applications”, Türkiye has taken a determined stance against the admission of countries that support terrorist organizations to NATO.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly Erdoğan, communicate their “concerns about terrorism” to NATO member states through diplomatic channels.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs manages the process through conventional diplomacy, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications carries out public diplomacy activities for the international community.

These efforts aim to explain Türkiye's rightful theses to the world and persuade societies.

Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun has given interviews to the most important newspapers of Sweden and Finland, explaining to the peoples of both countries the arguments defended by Türkiye.

In his interviews, Altun has emphasized the need for Sweden and Finland to implement concrete and lasting policy shifts on terrorism, stating that the admission of these two countries into NATO would not be possible unless the rightful concerns of Türkiye were addressed.

On June 7, the Directorate of Communications hosted a panel titled “NATO in the 21st Century: Challenges, Partnerships, and Enlargement,” bringing national and international experts together to discuss the issue. The panel focused on Türkiye’s rightful concerns about the multifaceted military and political policies of the Alliance.

Altun pointed out at the panel that one of the most important missions of the alliance is for NATO member states to stand firm against terrorist organizations, emphasizing that the admission of countries that have not taken a clear stance on the fight against terrorism into NATO poses a threat to the future of the Alliance. Responding to criticisms leveled at Türkiye, “Those who attempt to criticize a dependable ally like Türkiye in the context of relations between these candidate countries and NATO are experiencing an “eclipse of reason,” Director of Communications Altun said.

NATO's future to be discussed

Intensifying the diplomatic traffic, the Directorate of Communications will hold a panel in Brussels on June 17 to discuss “the future of NATO in the wake of the war in Ukraine”.

The panel will allow Türkiye's arguments to be explained to the entire world, using the means and capabilities of public diplomacy.

The Directorate of Communications will hold a panel in Madrid on June 28 to inform the international public ahead of the NATO Summit, which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend on June 28-30.

At the NATO Summit, Erdoğan is expected to stress that “Türkiye will not compromise its stance towards countries that support terrorism and terrorist organizations.” (ILKHA)