Erdogan will take steps towards rapprochement at a meeting with Putin, Sabah reports
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Turkey reaffirms its unshakable bond with Russia despite strengthening relations with the United States and the European Union, the Sabah newspaper reported.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the possibility of Sweden joining NATO will become real after Turkey is admitted to the European Union. In response to this statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Turkish President agreed to send the documents for ratification of Sweden’s application for NATO membership to the Turkish parliament “as soon as possible”. In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that Turkey should not count on joining Europe, and Ankara needs to be realistic on this issue.
“Movement towards better relations with the US and the EU should not be seen as an attempt to break away from Russia. The new stage of relations with the West should not be built on confrontation with Russia. Turkey does not plan to abandon its role as an active mediator between Ukraine and Russia. President Erdogan is expected to will take steps to strengthen Turkish-Russian relations during an upcoming meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin (Ankara expects to meet in August). Diplomacy is a world in which there are many participants. It is carried out in accordance with current conditions, events, interests and opportunities “, – notes the publication.
It is worth noting that Turkey signed an association agreement with the European Union (then the European Economic Community) in 1963 and applied for membership in 1987. However, accession negotiations began only in 2005 and were repeatedly suspended due to disagreements. Currently, 16 out of 35 chapters of the negotiation dossier are open.
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