Sweden pledges to dedicate itself to preventing activities by PKK terror group

By Atila Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) – Sweden will dedicate itself to preventing the PKK terrorist group from carrying out activities in the Baltic country, Defense Minister Pal Jonson said Thursday.

"This is important for both our security and the security of Türkiye,"he told local newspaper Aftonbladet.

"We will cooperate with Türkiye in the fight against international terrorism," he promised.

Jonson evaluated the recent consensus reached between Türkiye, Sweden, and NATO at the Vilnius summit of the military alliance this week in Lithuania, as well as Türkiye's decision to submit Sweden's NATO accession protocol to the parliament.

When asked whether Sweden considers the YPG/PYD and FETO as terrorist organizations as a result of the consensus reached with Türkiye, Jonson responded: "I cannot give a clear answer to that, as I was not present at the meeting. It was Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer who attended."

Jonson also said the topic of which terrorist groups will be fought against is also included in the trilateral memorandum signed by Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland in June 2022.

Following the NATO summit in Vilnius, Sweden reiterated that it will not support the YPG/PKK terrorist group or Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian branch.

Turkish officials have often complained of a lack of cooperation and support from its allies in countering the terrorist threat the country faces.