NATO: exchange of courtesies in Turkey for the visit of the Swedish Prime Minister
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in Ankara on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. AP - Burhan Ozbilici
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson this Tuesday, November 8 in Ankara, who has therefore booked Turkey on his first trip abroad since his election last month.
The visit was intended to advance Sweden's NATO candidacy, which Turkey continues to block, citing insufficient co-operation in the fight against terrorism.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Anne Andlauer
As a reminder, Ankara had notably accused Sweden – but also Finland, which is also a candidate for entry into the Atlantic Alliance – of protecting members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In June, the three countries signed a memorandum aimed at satisfying Turkey's demands.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reported progress on Tuesday after meeting with the Swedish prime minister.
On the Turkish side, the message is clear: Sweden will join NATO when it has extradited individuals whom Turkey considers to be terrorists.
It's not just the PKK, but also Gülenists, those faithful to the preacher Fethullah Gülen accused of being involved in the failed coup of July 2016.
►To re-read: Turkey obliges, change of tone in Sweden about the Kurds
"More muscles to fight terrorism"
It is not so much a question of numbers as of Sweden's "attitude", said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "
Thirty, seventy, a hundred people... all of these are subjects that can be discussed (...) When the memorandum has been fully implemented, our sincere wish is that Sweden's NATO membership will materialize.
»
Ulf Kristersson insisted on Stockholm's intention to cooperate more with Turkey in the “
fight against terrorism
”: “
Sweden will fulfill all its commitments to Turkey (…) We have already implemented a good part of the memorandum, we are in the process of answering other points… Sweden will make great strides between now and the end of the year and the beginning of next year, which will give the judicial authorities more muscle to fight against the terrorism on Swedish soil, regardless of whether these terrorist activities are aimed at Sweden or Turkey.
»
Next step: a meeting in Stockholm at the end of the month between Turkey, Sweden and Finland, Ankara no longer having any major objections to the latter's membership in NATO.
Turkey: Ulf Kristersson gives pledges
Only the Left Party expressed its opposition;
the new Swedish Parliament announced on Tuesday that a vote would be organized on November 16 within it to change the country's Constitution in order to toughen the fight against terrorism.
A requirement of Turkey.
After an initial tightening of the anti-terrorism legislation in force since July, this constitutional change should in particular make it possible to "
restrict the freedom of association of groups engaged in terrorism
", according to the press release from Parliament.
The entry into force is for January 1, 2023, specifies the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, at the time of giving a broad favorable opinion to this initiative, which had been initiated by the previous majority in place in Stockholm.
Some see it as a lever to facilitate the prosecution of members of the PKK, one of the "
great advances
" promised to the Turkish President by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday, during his friendly visit to Ankara.
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