Deal with Ankara on NATO bid to be fulfilled, Swedish FM reiterates
THE TRIPARTITE memorandum between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye for NATO membership of the Nordic nations will be fulfilled, the Swedish foreign minister reiterated on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Tobias Billstrom condemned Sunday’s terrorist attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street that left six people dead and 81 others injured. The Turkish government has confirmed it was carried out by the PKK/ YPG terrorist group.
He said the attack would not affect the ongoing dialogue between Sweden and Türkiye, adding that Türkiye’s security concerns will be addressed.
Abandoning decades of military non-alignment, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
But Türkiye voiced objections to their membership bids, due to the two Nordic countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
Stockholm and Helsinki struck a deal with Ankara in June, which requires them not to provide support to the PKK and its offshoots, or to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye. Ankara has also called for the extradition of terror suspects.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK –listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.
Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have warned that Türkiye will not give the nod to their memberships until the memorandum is implemented.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Türkiye in recent weeks to discuss the membership bids.
In order for a country to join NATO, unanimous consent is required, which equals the approval of all 30 existing allied countries.
MESSAGE FROM EU
The “fight against terrorism is a common issue for all around the world,” European Council President Charles Michel also stressed yesterday at a press conference in Bali, Indonesia.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Michel responded to a question from Anadolu Agency (AA) on the deadly weekend terrorist attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street, saying “it is extremely important to be all together, try to prevent (such attacks), to cooperate at the level of intelligence services.”
“The EU has a very strong position. We want to coordinate, cooperate to fight against terrorism everywhere,” he added.