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Added on the 17/03/2023 14:30:15 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asks the country's parliament to vote on Finland's application to joint the NATO defence alliance, saying "I wish that this decision will be good for our countries and our alliance". Erdogan's announcement comes as Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, visits Ankara. SOUNDBITE
"About the NATO membership, we have to take it calmly and we have to wait for the elections in Turkey to take place" says Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. The comment comes after the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto announced Finland has to consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appears to grind to a halt after Ankara blasted Stockholm over anti-Turkey protests. "Keep your watch on the ball but don’t be a ball yourself," adds Niinisto. SOUNDBITE
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is welcomed to Ankara by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, as Kristersson makes a bid to persuade Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden joining NATO. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-held policy of non-alignment and applied to join the military alliance. But Turkey has stalled ratification of their bids, accusing them of harbouring outlawed Kurdish militants. IMAGES
President Sauli Niniisto of Finland and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden meet with their Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid in a bid to get Erdogan to drop objections to them joining the US-led defence alliance. Erdogan has refused to greenlight the applications from the Nordic pair despite calls from his NATO allies to clear the path for them to enter. IMAGES
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, DC. IMAGES
Supporters of Zambian President Lungu hold a rally in Lusaka during a tense presidential race, which has been marked by clashes between rival supporters. The presidential election will take place on Thursday. IMAGES.