According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, Sweden is not even halfway done implementing the obligations it made in order to win Ankara’s support for its membership, despite the fact that Turkey appreciates the country’s efforts thus far as it seeks approval to join NATO.
Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed on Thursday that the favorable atmosphere in talks over Sweden’s membership in the military alliance had been “poisoned” by a Swedish court’s decision not to extradite a man sought by Turkey for alleged connections to a failed 2016 coup.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year, Sweden and Finland chose to abandon their long-standing positions of military neutrality and submit applications to join NATO. The alliance’s 30 present members must all agree to the move in order for it to go forward.
Turkish pressure on the two Nordic nations to take action against organizations it views as “terrorist” and to extradite people wanted for “terror-related” offenses has slowed down the process.
The memberships of Sweden and Finland have previously been approved by the parliaments of all 28 NATO nations. The only members who haven’t yet approved are Turkey and Hungary.
Tobias Billström and Cavusoglu both spoke at a joint news conference in Ankara, where Cavusoglu stated the Turkish government was still waiting for a “concrete progress” on asset freezes and extraditions.
Despite the easing of a weapons restriction, Turkish defense companies have also been unable to purchase some equipment from Sweden, he continued.
“A document exists; it must be put into practice. The halfway point has not even been reached yet. We’re just getting started,” he stated in reference to a June memorandum of understanding that Finland, Sweden, and Turkey inked.
The two nations agreed to handle Turkey’s security concerns, including calls for the expulsion and extradition of Kurdish fighters and individuals connected to a network operated by Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the US. Gulen denies being the mastermind of the coup attempt that took place in 2016, as claimed by the Turkish government.
After Sweden’s highest court declined to extradite journalist Bulent Kenes, who Turkey claims is a member of the coup plotters, Billström traveled to Turkey. The English-language Today’s Zaman newspaper, which belonged to the Gulen network and was shut down by the government as part of its campaign against the organization, was edited by Kenes, who was granted asylum in Sweden.
According to Cavusoglu, the talks between Turkey and Sweden were progressing positively. However, the rejection of Kenes’ extradition sadly caused a major deterioration in the mood.
Billström stated that Stockholm is working to improve its “anti-terrorism” laws and that Sweden is adamant about keeping its promises.
On January 1, a constitutional change that restricts the right of association of groups that participate in or support “terrorist” would come into effect, he said.
According to Billström, the Swedish government also intends to pass legislation that will make it further harder for people to participate in “terrorist” organization activities.
The minister declared, “My message to Minister Cavusoglu and the Turkish people is clear: Sweden respects its promises. “We treat the contract seriously. We have started implementing each paragraph, and we will keep doing so.
Later, Billström stated over the phone to the AP news agency that Sweden has emphasized the need for independent courts to handle situations like Kenes’.
He declared, “This choice binds us, and that is the way it is.
Billström claimed that discussions between Sweden and Turkey were occurring at various levels of government and that Ankara was aware of Sweden’s progress in implementing the terms of the memorandum.
He was unable to estimate when Turkey might be prepared to consent to Sweden joining NATO.
At the earliest, Billström remarked, “We want to join NATO at the meeting in Vilnius in July.” We aim to have the proposal approved by the Turkish parliament far earlier than that.
Meetings are conducted with a positive attitude, he stated. “The proper way is being taken by us. We shall carry out this memo progressively.
