Türkiye says no 'concrete development' from Sweden on extradition of terrorists

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Sweden has not taken any concrete steps to address Türkiye’s security concerns, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday.

"There is no concrete development regarding the extradition of terrorist-related criminals and the freezing of terrorist assets," Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom in the capital Ankara.

Cavusoglu said Sweden remains a "center of attraction" for the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 coup bid in Türkiye.

PKK and FETO terrorist groups are not only a threat to Türkiye but to other countries as well, he added.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's war against Ukraine.

But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

This June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.

"We do not want the impossible, we ask for your support in the fight against terrorism. Our relationship with you is at the strategic partnership level, we want you to understand the security concerns of the country you want to be an ally of," Cavusoglu said.

He added that if the countries are to become NATO allies, Türkiye needs to see "concrete cooperation."

Billstrom, for his part, said Sweden keeps its promises, and it takes the trilateral deal "seriously."

"We have been taking concrete steps to fulfill our commitments," he said, adding that Sweden and Finland's NATO membership will benefit NATO.