Sweden’s NATO talks with Türkiye strained by party members posing with PKK/YPG flags: Foreign Minister

By Atilla Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) – Sweden’s negotiations with Türkiye on its bid to join NATO were made more difficult when members of a local political party took a photo with flags of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Sunday.

Linde told the Swedish Aftonbladet daily that Turkish media constantly brings up this incident and similar events.

She said that although this was freedom of expression under Swedish law, it was a “very inappropriate” situation for the government.

On July 7, Left Party deputies Daniel Riazat, Momodou Malcolm Jallow and Lorena Delgado Varas posed for a photo in the city of Visby with flags of the YPG/PKK and shared it on social media.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson condemned the three deputies over the incident.

Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson had declared that the PKK has the blood of many innocent people on its hands.

Türkiye, a NATO member for more than 70 years, made it clear that it will oppose Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids if its security concerns have not been met.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar