Sweden, Finland committees in Turkey for NATO talks
Last week Sweden and Finland committees submitted written applications to join NATO in a move that marks one of the biggest geopolitical ramifications of the Russian war in Ukraine and that could rewrite the security map of Europe.
Turkey reported it opposed the two Nordic countries ‘membership of the military alliance, citing complaints about Swedish – and to a lesser extent Finland – support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and other entities. that Turkey considers a security threat. He also accuses the two of imposing restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and of refusing to extradite suspected “terrorists”.
Turkey’s objections dampened Stockholm and Helsinki’s hopes of their swift NATO membership in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and challenged the credibility of the transatlantic alliance. All 30 NATO members must agree to admit new members.
The Swedish and Finnish committees are ready to take up Turkey’s complaints with Ibrahim Kalin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal. The Swedish delegation would be led by Secretary of State Oscar Stenström while Jukka Salovaara, the Undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, would lead the Finnish delegation, Turkish officials stated.
The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by many of Turkey’s allies, has led a decade-long insurrection against Turkey, a conflict that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Turkey this week listed five “concrete assurances” it is asking of Sweden, including what it said were “an end to political support for terrorism”, an “elimination of the source of terrorist financing” and a “cessation of arms support. “al banned the PKK and a group of Syrian Kurdish militiamen affiliated with it. The requests also called for the lifting of arms sanctions against Turkey and global cooperation against terrorism.
Turkey said it has been calling for the extradition of Kurdish militants and other suspects since 2017, but has not received a positive response from Stockholm. Among other things, Ankara said that Sweden had decided to provide $ 376 million to support Kurdish militants in 2023 and to have provided them with military equipment, including anti-tank weapons and drones.
Sweden has denied providing “financial assistance or military support” to Kurdish groups or entities in Syria.
“Sweden is a major humanitarian donor to the Syrian crisis through global allocations to humanitarian actors,” Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Aftonbladet newspaper.
“Cooperation in northeastern Syria is mainly carried out through the United Nations and international organizations,” he said. “Sweden does not provide targeted support to the Syrian Kurds or political or military structures in northeastern Syria, but the people of these areas are obviously taking part in these aid projects.”
