Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home World

Turkey forces NATO allies to water down condemnation of Belarus

Ivan Fischer by Ivan Fischer
28 May 2021
in World
Flags',Of,Members,Of,Nato,At,The,Nato,Headquarters,In

Flags',Of,Members,Of,Nato,At,The,Nato,Headquarters,In

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Brussels (Brussels Morning) A surprisingly toothless joint statement released by NATO member states on Wednesday, condemning Belarus in lukewarm terms for forcing a commercial plane to land in order to arrest a dissident journalist, was the outcome of Turkish demands that its allies water down a much more damning initial draft version of the intended statement.

The statement, which required approval by consensus of all 30 member states, in the end comprised two paragraphs condemning Minsk’s actions, stripped of any reference to sanctions or consequences.

Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s public remarks commenting on the rerouting of the Ryanair flight had been much more pointed, when he termed the incident “a state hijacking” that he described as “dangerous”.

Two unnamed diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters that the text of the joint statement was supposed to have been much tougher. Poland and the Baltic countries, the sources said, were calling for punitive steps to be included in the wording. However, Turkey insisted that any mention of sanctions against Belarus be stricken from the final text.

Ties with Moscow

The two diplomats also said Turkey demanded that the statement omit any reference to a call for the release of political prisoners in Belarus, and that all threats to suspend NATO cooperation with Minsk be removed from the text as well.

“The statement by the North Atlantic Council on Belarus was agreed by all 30 Allies by consensus,” a NATO official said, when asked to comment on the Turkish role in the process. “We do not go into the details of discussions in the North Atlantic Council, which are confidential”, the official added.

Even though Turkey offered no explanation for its demands, the diplomats conjectured that Ankara was likely seeking to preserve its ties with Moscow, Belarus’s closest ally. Turkey, they speculated, might also be seeking to maintain economic relations with Belarus by preserving Turkish Airlines’ daily flights to Minsk. Another possible motive could be fear of how Moscow would react to any direct reprisals against its close ally. Turkey’s tourism industry, for example, counts on Russian tourists to help salvage this year’s tourist season..

Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT