Sweden’s NATO membership hinges on extraditing unknown people — As Turkey calls for handover of 120 alleged terrorists, Sweden says it has no idea who they are
Sweden’s NATO membership hinges on extraditing unknown people — As Turkey calls for handover of 120 alleged terrorists, Sweden says it has no idea who they are
4 comments
What is going on always between Sweden and Turkey. They are battling every other month
Gnomes in the attic:^1
>The Swedish government had hoped to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last month, as Finland did.
>The two countries broke their long-term policy of nonalignment, transforming the security map in Europe, after Russia began its war with Ukraine, and applied to join the bloc last May.
>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that Sweden first hand over approximately 120 individuals affiliated with a Kurdish insurgent movement before his country ratifies its membership in NATO, a politically popular stand at home.
>Erdogan is heavily favored in a runoff presidential election Sunday after facing a difficult challenge in the first round earlier this month.
>A senior Swedish official with knowledge of discussions over the issue said Sweden has neither received a list of names from Turkey, nor is it aware of who the individuals might be, making Erdogan’s demands impossible to meet.
>The Turkish leader’s demands have created a political knot that will be difficult to address unless he is willing to soften his stance, said Anna Wieslander, the Stockholm-based director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council.
>“It’s worrisome that he put something on the table which is not solvable,” Wieslander said.
^1 Sune Engel Rasmussen and Jared Malsin (26 May 2023), “Sweden’s NATO membership hinges on extraditing unknown people”, https://www.wsj.com/articles/swedens-nato-membership-hinges-on-extraditing-unknown-people-1ecb722c
They should not do it.
The problem is, some organizations in Turkey gets money from Sweden. It became a red flag in Turkish politics. They blame every organization that is backed by foreign money coming from Sweden. I volunteer in one of them. I am not a part of it but they declared us terrorist for volunteering to protect ballot boxes. I am concerned for my safety and future. Sweden should stay strong. There might be criminals among these names, but there will be innocents as well. Erdoğan wants to punish everyone to show some results.