ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would meet US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid for talks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Analysts believe the meeting could play a crucial role in lifting Turkey’s resistance to bids by Sweden and Finland to join the Western defense alliance in response to the war.
The two leaders have had a chilly relationship since Biden’s election because of US concerns about human rights under Erdogan.
“We spoke with Mr.Biden this morning and he expressed his desire to get together tonight or tomorrow. We said it was possible,” Erdogan said.
He was speaking to reporters before flying to Madrid for talks that will start with his meeting with the leaders of the two Nordic countries and the NATO secretary general.
Erdogan said he wanted to see the results of preparatory talks held on Monday in Brussels before deciding whether Sweden and Finland had done enough to lift his objection to their membership of the military alliance.
Turkey is a NATO member and could veto both countries’ applications at the summit.
“We are a 70-year-old member of NATO. Turkey is not a country that randomly joined NATO,” Erdogan said.
“We will see what point they (Finland and Sweden) have reached,” he added. “We do not want empty words. We want results.”
Ankara has accused Finland and more particularly Sweden of providing a safe haven for outlawed Kurdish militants, whose decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
The Turkish leader has also called on Sweden and Finland to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey in 2019 over Ankara’s military offensive in Syria.
Erdogan says will meet Biden on sidelines of NATO summit
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Erdogan says will meet Biden on sidelines of NATO summit
- Analysts believe the meeting could play a crucial role in lifting Turkey’s resistance to bids by Sweden and Finland to join the Western defense alliance
Islamophobic attacks on public transport growing in UK
- Muslim travelers restricting journeys over fear of abuse and assault, community groups warn
- Authorities must ‘take urgent and meaningful action,’ says British Muslim Trust CEO
LONDON: Islamophobic attacks are on the rise on public transport across Britain, according to new information revealed by The Guardian, as community organizations warn that Muslims are restricting their journeys over fear of abuse and assault.
A freedom of information request showed that racial hate crimes recorded by British Transport Police across England, Wales and Scotland grew from 2,827 cases in 2019-2020 to 3,258 in 2024-25.
The environment of public transport “creates a particular dynamic where aggressors are often emboldened by alcohol, can isolate their targets and then exit at the next stop,” The Guardian reported.
Hate crimes of a religious nature climbed from 343 cases in 2019-20 to 419 in 2023-24.
Akeela Ahmed, CEO of the British Muslim Trust, said the data reflects the stories her organization has collected from Muslims across the country.
She urged local authorities, transport operators and community safety groups to “take urgent and meaningful action” to address the issue.
“For visible Muslims in particular, the top deck of a bus or a half-empty train carriage can mean threatening behaviour, verbal abuse or even violent attack simply because of their faith,” Ahmed said, adding that Islamophobic attacks on public transport reported to the BMT are “some of the most complex and distressing cases we have handled to date.
“Many Muslims now feel compelled to micro-analyse every movement, expression or gesture out of fear that it may be misinterpreted, recorded and weaponised against them.”
A significant number of physical and verbal attacks against Muslims target children traveling to and from school, Ahmed said, describing this trend as the “most alarming” of all.
“The lack of CCTV coverage on buses and at many stops means perpetrators routinely evade accountability,” she added.
Carol Young, deputy director of the Coalition for Racial Equality, said the recorded figures cited by The Guardian “are probably the tip of the iceberg,” adding: “Anecdotally, we know that using public transport may not feel safe for everyone and some people may avoid using it or restrict their use to certain times of day.”
In response to a request by The Guardian for comment, a spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Abuse, intimidation and violence — especially that which is motivated by hate — will never be tolerated, and we have acted swiftly and decisively when we receive reports of hate crimes on the rail network.
“If you are a victim of hate crime, or if you witness an incident that makes you feel uncomfortable, please do not suffer in silence.”
