Sweden finally ends non-alignment and joins NATO in the shadow of Ukraine war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after protesters insulted the Quran, Islam's holy book, while enjoying Swedish laws on freedom of expression. In an apparent but unstated sweetener, the United States jeopardized the sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey, which has previously faced the wrath of US sanctions on large military purchases from […]

Sweden's historic entry into NATO: a long-awaited victory for security and diplomacy

Finland successfully joined in April 2023. Sweden's candidacy stalled due to a strong pressure from Turkey, which demanded that Stockholm, known for its generous asylum policies, crack down on Kurdish militants campaigning against Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after protesters insulted the Quran, Islam's holy book, while enjoying Swedish laws on […]

Sweden and Bangladesh discuss free, fair elections and bilateral trade relations

Diana Janse, Swedish State Secretary for International Development Cooperation and International Trade, discussed bilateral trade relations, the business environment and how to further support the green transition with representatives of Swedish companies. A press release from the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka said discussions in the meetings with Bangladeshi counterparts revolved around bilateral relations, focusing on […]

PM Hasina reiterates commitment to conduct free, fair elections

Regarding the Rohingya, the Swedish State Minister highly praised the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for providing shelter to more than one million displaced Myanmar nationals and said that his government seeks the dignified return of the Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar. She also lauded Sheikh Hasina’s leadership for the overall development of Bangladesh, especially in […]

Climate change biggest threat to sustainable development: Hasan Mahmood

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmood said Bangladesh will continue to work through international and regional cooperation to tackle various environmental challenges, including climate change and biodiversity loss, by using innovative green technology and renewable energy. “Climate change has emerged as the single biggest threat to sustainable development. Extreme temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods and droughts, […]

Finland joins NATO as Russian war prompts change

But last week, Turkey’s parliament voted to clear Finland’s last hurdle. Completing ratification in less than a year is still the fastest membership process in the alliance’s recent history. Tuesday’s highly choreographed formalities remained at NATO headquarters. The Foreign Minister of Finland will hand over the formal Instrument of Accession to US Secretary of State […]

Norway police ban Koran burning protest after Turkey summons Oslo envoy

Earlier on Thursday, Ankara strongly condemned the anti-Islamist group’s plans, saying it was a “provocative act”, a Turkish foreign ministry source said after the ministry asked the demonstrations to be called off Was. Norway’s Foreign Ministry said that Turkey had raised the issue of planned demonstrations in a meeting. A spokesperson for the ministry said, […]

Erdogan pushes NATO expansion issue in Turkey’s tense election campaign

waiting game All 30 NATO member states must approve the new ones. To allay Turkey’s concerns, Sweden and Finland last summer reportedly linked PKK separatist militants in Turkey’s southeast – a hard line against what Ankara labels as predominantly Kurdish “terrorists”. Resolved to take Washington, Stockholm and Helsinki hoped Ankara would ratify Turkey’s NATO bids […]