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Madrid Summit Not a Deadline for Decision on Finland and Sweden’s NATO Bids, Says Turkey

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. (AFP)
Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. (AFP)
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Madrid Summit Not a Deadline for Decision on Finland and Sweden’s NATO Bids, Says Turkey

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. (AFP)
Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. (AFP)

A NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June is not a deadline for a decision on Sweden and Finland's membership bids, which are opposed by Turkey, the Turkish president's spokesman said on Saturday.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western defense alliance last month in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but their bids have faced resistance from Turkey, which has accused them of supporting Kurdish militants.

While the two Nordic countries have said talks would continue to resolve the dispute, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Ankara had not received any responses to its demands, including stopping support for groups Turkey considers terrorists, lifting arms embargoes on Ankara and extraditing suspects it seeks.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu news agency during a visit to Madrid, Erdogan's spokesman and chief foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin repeated that progress on the membership bids hinged on how Sweden and Finland respond to Turkish demands.

"We don't see ourselves in a time constraint like the NATO summit," Kalin was cited as saying, adding that while the summit was important in addressing common issues like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cooperation within the alliance, potential allies have to take steps to alleviate concerns of current members.

"We don't feel like we are under any time pressure like 'let us get this done by the NATO summit'. What is important here is that Sweden and Finland openly, clearly and concretely put forth what kind of steps they will take regarding counter-terrorism," he added.

Any bid to join NATO requires backing from each of its 30 members. Turkey, which has been a NATO ally for over 70 years, has said it will not change its view unless the Nordic countries take "concrete steps" about its concerns.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to Washington this week that he would convene senior officials from Finland, Sweden and Turkey in Brussels in coming days to discuss the issue. NATO leaders will convene on June 29-30 in Madrid.

Earlier, Erdogan said NATO was not an organization that could provide protection from terror, citing demonstrations and events organized by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in allied countries like France, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece, whose envoy to Ankara was summoned over the issue on Friday.

He said Ankara would not "fall for the same mistake" while PKK members "roam free" in Finland and Sweden.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

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World

Merz Floats Sanctions Relief for Iran Peace Deal, Other EU Leaders Cautious

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference after taking part in an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia on April 24, 2026. (AFP)
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference after taking part in an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia on April 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Merz Floats Sanctions Relief for Iran Peace Deal, Other EU Leaders Cautious

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference after taking part in an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia on April 24, 2026. (AFP)
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference after taking part in an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia on April 24, 2026. (AFP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested on Friday that the European Union could ease sanctions on Tehran as part of a comprehensive deal that would end the Iran war, but other EU leaders struck a more cautious note.

The 27-nation EU has imposed sanctions on Iran for years, including travel bans and asset freezes for senior officials and entities, in response to human rights violations, nuclear activities and military support for Russia.

US officials have suggested a ‌comprehensive deal covering Iran's ‌nuclear and missile programs and the ‌re-opening ⁠of the Strait of ⁠Hormuz could bring a lasting end to the US-Israeli war with Tehran, beyond the current ceasefire.

After an EU summit in Cyprus, Merz said the bloc could gradually ease sanctions on Iran in the event that a comprehensive agreement was reached.

European leaders have been largely sidelined in the current Middle ⁠East conflict but some European officials see ‌the bloc's sanctions as a possible ‌way for the EU to be involved in a diplomatic solution.

"The ‌easing of sanctions can be part of a process," ‌Merz told reporters after the Nicosia summit.

"No one has objected to that," he said of the summit deliberations. "It is, so to speak, part of the contribution we can make to advance this ‌process and, hopefully, lead to a permanent ceasefire."

But European Council President Antonio Costa, the chair ⁠of the summit, ⁠told a press conference after the end of the meeting: "It is too early to talk about relieving any kind of sanctions."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said sanctions relief could only come after clear evidence of fundamental changes of course from Iran.

"We believe that sanctions relief should be conditional on verification of de-escalation, particularly on progress on the international effort to contain its nuclear threat, and on a change to the repression of its own people," she told the same press conference.

World

German Court Jails Hezbollah Supporter Over Videos Showing Weapons

Coffins sit on a trailer beneath portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed before a 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the Iran-backed militant group and Israel during a mass funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
Coffins sit on a trailer beneath portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed before a 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the Iran-backed militant group and Israel during a mass funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
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German Court Jails Hezbollah Supporter Over Videos Showing Weapons

Coffins sit on a trailer beneath portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed before a 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the Iran-backed militant group and Israel during a mass funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
Coffins sit on a trailer beneath portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed before a 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the Iran-backed militant group and Israel during a mass funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

A German court on Friday sentenced a supporter of Lebanon's Hezbollah party to more than three years in jail Friday over for "illegal access to weapons" and social media posts supporting the group.

Earlier in the same trial the 30-year-old was acquitted on charges of actually fighting for Hezbollah and being a member of the group.

The court in Berlin gave him a sentence of three years and nine months over social media posts he made with videos taken during a trip to Lebanon in 2023.

In the videos he was seen handling rifles and anti-tank missiles and taking part in shooting practice.

The court found he also spread propaganda videos and displayed Hezbollah symbols, such as flags and scarves.

However, the court said that the videos in question showed that the accused had had no training in dealing with the weapons and that he had acted in a "partly amateurish" fashion.

His earlier claims to have fought with the group were made up in order to impress his friends, the court found.

Hezbollah's military wing is classed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Britain.

Germany considers Hezbollah a "Shiite terrorist organization" and in 2020 banned Hezbollah from carrying out activities on its soil.

World

Key Go-Between Switzerland to Reopen Embassy in Iran

Milad telecommunication tower is seen at left in a general view of a part of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
Milad telecommunication tower is seen at left in a general view of a part of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
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Key Go-Between Switzerland to Reopen Embassy in Iran

Milad telecommunication tower is seen at left in a general view of a part of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
Milad telecommunication tower is seen at left in a general view of a part of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)

Switzerland said Friday it had begun sending staff back to Tehran and would gradually reopen its embassy, enabling it to continue as a facilitator for diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

For decades, neutral Switzerland has played a central role in maintaining basic diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States.

But the country temporarily closed its embassy on March 11 days after the Middle East war erupted with the first US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The Swiss foreign ministry said four staff had returned and insisted the channel of communication between the US and Iran had been kept open even while the mission was shut.

"The decision to gradually reopen the embassy was taken after a risk analysis and in consultation with Iran and the United States, whose interests Switzerland represents under its protecting power mandate," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Switzerland "is prepared to provide its good offices if the parties so wish and supports all diplomatic initiatives that contribute to de-escalation and a lasting peace".

Switzerland has represented US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations with Middle Eastern country after the 1980 hostage crisis, which came a year after the Iranian revolution.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles all consular affairs between the United States and Iran, including passport requests, altering civil status and consular protection for US citizens in Iran.

Under the protecting power mandate, "Switzerland can either offer to act as a go-between on its own initiative or can fulfil this function at the request of the parties concerned, provided that all those involved agree", the foreign ministry says on its website.

A ceasefire has been in place since April 8 but prospective peace talks between senior US and Iranian envoys Pakistan are hanging in the balance.

Iran has all but closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the war, while the US has imposed a blockade of its own on Iranian ports.