Turkiye, Sweden, Finland NATO deal "not an end but good start" - defence minister

A trilateral memorandum recently signed at a NATO summit between Türkiye, Sweden and Finland is "not an end, but a good start," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on July 28.

"We expect them to fulfil their commitments," Akar said at a news conference with his Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks in the capital of Riga where they discussed defence issues and NATO cooperation, according to Daily Sabah. 

During the NATO summit in Madrid late last month, the leaders of three countries agreed on a trilateral memorandum to address Türkiye's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids.

The deal stipulates that Stockholm and Helsinki will not provide support to the YPG, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, nor to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group behind a 2016 defeated coup.

Türkiye, a member of NATO for more than 70 years, has pushed Sweden and Finland to meet their obligations.

The PKK is listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the European Union and the United States and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Regarding the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul to oversee Ukrainian grain exports, Akar said: "The centre is operational. Officials from Türkiye, the United Nations, Ukraine and Russia are working day and night for the ships waiting at the Ukrainian ports to start transporting grain in the coming hours and days."

He said Türkiye continues its efforts to achieve a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The centre was officially opened Wednesday, comprising representatives of Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine to enable the safe transportation, by merchant ships, of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last week to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – for grain stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

Following last week's breakthrough deal on grain exports, Türkiye's foreign minister also said earlier in the day "now it is time to focus on brokering a cease-fire" between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu praised the grain exports deal signed in Istanbul last Friday, saying the obstacles "to exports of not only Ukrainian grain but also Russian grain and fertilizer" have come down, helping to feed a hungry world.

The parties, during talks in Istanbul, agreed to form a coordination centre to carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbours and to ensure the safety of the routes.

Internationally praised for its mediator role, Türkiye has coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to resume global grain shipments, which have been long stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

Voicing hope that the deal will be implemented without any interruptions or issues, Çavuşoğlu said the grain and wheat could then be transported to countries that are in urgent need.

If the deal is successfully implemented, he added, "it could really boost trust between Russia and Ukraine."

"Now it's time to focus on a cease-fire. This is not just a process to be carried out at the level of foreign ministers," he added, voicing Türkiye's readiness to host and mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine towards a lasting peace.

Emphasizing that there is no loser in peace if there is a fair cease-fire, the minister said the war on Ukraine will end at the negotiating table eventually.

"As Türkiye, we will continue our efforts to make parties return to the diplomacy table as soon as possible," he added.

By keeping the door open with both Ukraine and Russia, Türkiye has been praised for its leading role in bringing the countries together to move towards peace, including a meeting this March in the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya.