Sweden vows to fulfill 3-way NATO accession deal with Türkiye

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - After a phone call with the Turkish president on Wednesday, Sweden's new prime minister said his government would comply with a trilateral memorandum on its NATO accession.

Ulf Kristersson said on Twitter that his conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan was constructive and that he was looking forward to visiting Ankara soon.

"Constructive phone call with President @RTErdogan Looking forward to visit Ankara soon. My gov will fulfil the trilateral memorandum between Türkiye, Finland, Sweden for #NATO accession," said Kristersson.

Türkiye is monitoring Sweden's commitment to a deal they signed in June on the Nordic country's bid to join NATO, the Turkish president told Kristersson during the call.

In response to a letter from Kristersson on Oct. 19, Erdogan had declared he would welcome a visit to Türkiye by the new Swedish prime minister.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the two countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

The three countries signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding at NATO's June summit in Madrid, which stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the PKK/YPG -- the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot -- or the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the EU, and the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG -- which also has a presence in Europe and is openly sanctioned by several governments -- is the PKK's Syrian branch.