SOMEONE'S GOT A WOODIE!

 

PIC is of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) shaking hands beside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (Middle) prior to their meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania July 10, 2023.

EARLIER in the year, Norway officially joined NATO, something that requires unanimous approval from the members of the military alliance. There are currently 31 member nations in NATO. At the July meeting, President Erdogan finally gave his approval for Sweden’s “ascension” into NATO to become #32. The Turkish president subsequently introduced legislation in Türkiye’s parliament to approve the deal. Ever the wily politician, Erdogan thus far has dragged out the process, using Sweden as a bargaining chip to first ink a deal with the U.S. to purchase F-16 fighter jets. However, the events of early October will further delay the signing. 

 

WWIII aside, I can’t tell whether rosy-cheeked Stoltenberg is about to burst into streams of girlish giggles over Erdogan green-lighting Sweden, or is that a zucchini in his pocket and he’s just glad to see them?

 

Cheers, Jake.