Swedish government takes Türkiye's demands seriously, wants to fulfill them: Swedish prime minister

By Atila Altuntas and Beyza Binnur Donmez

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AA) - After its way was paved for NATO membership, Sweden wants Türkiye to know Stockholm takes its concerns seriously and will take steps to address them, the Swedish prime minister underscored on Tuesday.

"The Swedish government took seriously Türkiye's demands and showed its will to fulfill them," Ulf Kristersson told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. "It is important that Türkiye is convinced and certain of what we said and what we did,” he added, referring to the agreement reached Monday.

Türkiye agreed to send Sweden's NATO Accession Protocol to its parliament following a trilateral meeting, the alliance's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told a news conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday where 31 leaders of the military alliance have gathered for a two-day summit.

In a joint statement following the meeting, Sweden reiterated that it will not support the terrorist group YPG/PKK or the 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.

Stoltenberg also underscored that Sweden's cooperation with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism will continue beyond its accession, as both countries agreed to establish a new bilateral security compact, including a new special counter-terrorism coordinator for "stepping up its work in this area."

Sweden and Finland decided to seek NATO membership after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022. While Finland gained membership this April, Türkiye said Sweden would need to address its security concerns – particularly over terrorism – before getting its green light.

New members of NATO must get unanimous agreement from all the current members. Türkiye has been a NATO member for over 70 years, and boasts its second-largest army.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara