Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen meets with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara and criticizes Erdogan's statement about Hamas.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement this morning, Friday, which read:
“The war between Israel and Hamas and Sweden’s membership in NATO will be high on the agenda when Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen visits Turkey today, where he will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fuat Oktay.
The Russian war in Ukraine and the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea will also be discussed during the Foreign Minister's visit. In addition to the Turkish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen will meet with the Chairman of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and members of the committee.
“It is an important step for the entire NATO alliance that President Erdoğan has now submitted Sweden’s accession to NATO for consideration in the Turkish Parliament. I will be meeting with the Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee later today. I look forward to emphasizing the need for the Swedish application to be submitted to the members quickly.”.
It would have dire consequences if a war between Israel and Hamas fueled a larger conflict in the region, and we must cooperate with Turkey to prevent that. They can also play a key role in the Ukrainian fight against Russia, of which last year’s grain deal was a good example,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen said.
This is Lars Løkke Rasmussen's first visit to Türkiye as Denmark's foreign minister.”
The statement has ended.
According to Ritsau, the visit comes shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a liberation group fighting to protect its country, a statement criticized by Lars Løkke Rasmussen and scheduled to be addressed during the visit.
According to the source, Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated: “Hamas is on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations. Turkey is an important partner for Denmark and Europe, but it is also a complicated partner, as confirmed by this statement from Erdogan, which we must discuss.”.
It is worth noting, according to local media, that Turkey has agreed to put Sweden’s request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to a vote in the Turkish parliament, but has not yet specified a time, as Sweden’s accession to the alliance depends on the approval of only two countries, namely Türkiye and Hungary.
