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Sweden has extradited a Turkish Kurd to Turkey for alleged ties to terrorism. With this, Sweden fulfills one of Turkey’s requests to admit the country to the NATO alliance.
The extradited man sought asylum in 2015 after being sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in Turkey. According to Turkey, he has links to the Kurdish PKK militant movement. After his extradition, the man was detained in Istanbul yesterday, reports the Turkish state channel TRT.
To interfere
Turkey opposes the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. In May, those countries submitted a joint application to join the military alliance. Northern countries have historically adopted a militarily neutral stance, but want to unite after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey was neither with accession, because according to Turkish President Erdogan, Sweden and Finland host “terrorist organisations”. By this he refers to Kurdish organizations such as the PKK and the YPG.
Erdogan wants countries to extradite dozens of “terrorists” to Turkey. These include human rights activists and journalists who have been granted asylum in Sweden. They are also supporters of the Gülen movement. That movement is held responsible for the failed coup in Turkey in 2016.
concessions to Turkey
Finland and Sweden deny harboring terrorist organizations but have since made concessions to Turkey. For example, Sweden has distanced itself from the YGP Kurdish militia. That group has been supported by Stockholm for years in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. The country has also lifted the arms embargo against Turkey.
Last week, Turkey said Sweden and Finland have made progress in fighting terrorism but still need to do more to meet Turkish demands.
To be admitted to NATO, all thirty member states must agree. Turkey is the only country that has not yet officially agreed to join.
