In meeting with US, Turkey gives mixed signals on wider NATO

By MATTHEW LEE and SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is struggling to get clarity from Turkey over the severity of its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking an increasingly tough line against their membership bids. In a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Turkey’s top diplomat offered mixed signals. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu affirmed his country’s support for NATO’s “open-door” policy but also repeated Erdogan’s demands that Turkey’s security concerns about the candidate nations be addressed. The remarks came as U.S. officials try to determine how serious the often mercurial Erdogan is. In the meantime, U.S. officials have been essentially ignoring Erdogan’s comments.