Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denied, during a press conference with his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Bilstrom, in Ankara that there had been tangible progress regarding the extradition of wanted persons to Turkey, which is a major condition for it to ratify Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO.
Cavusoglu said after his talks with his Swedish counterpart today, Thursday, that Turkey appreciates the steps Sweden has taken so far, "but there has been no tangible progress regarding the extradition of criminals linked to terrorism and the freezing of their assets."
The Turkish minister denounced the Swedish judiciary's refusal to extradite Bulent Kennish to the Turkish authorities, a person Ankara says is a member of the Fethullah Gulen group, which it classifies as a terrorist organization.
"This is a very negative development, and it is normal for us to expect additional steps to be taken in accordance with the tripartite memorandum regarding the deportation of people with links to terrorism, and this is a commitment for Sweden and Finland stemming from the memorandum," Cavusoglu said.
Last June, Turkey signed with Sweden and Finland this tripartite memorandum, which includes steps to ensure Turkish support for the two countries' efforts to join NATO.
Kennish case
Cavusoglu said, "If Sweden wants to be an ally in NATO, we must see concrete cooperation. The negotiations are taking place in a positive atmosphere, but the refusal to hand over Kennish poisoned this atmosphere."
He added that Sweden remains a magnet for members of the Gulen movement "who continue their activities there".
Sweden refused to extradite Bulent Kennish to Turkey (Reuters)
Earlier this week, the Swedish Supreme Court rejected a request by Ankara to extradite Kenish, a Turkish journalist who served as editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper Zaman, which has links to the Gulen movement.
Turkey accuses the group of being behind the 2016 coup attempt.
For his part, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilstrom said that Stockholm has taken concrete steps in all areas mentioned in the tripartite memorandum.
"We have strengthened legal cooperation with Turkey regarding suspected terrorists," he added.
However, he continued, saying that the Swedish judiciary is independent, and "we must not only take into account individual cases, but we must look at the whole picture," referring to stricter anti-terrorism laws that will enter into force in Sweden on January 1.
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Johnson is scheduled to make an official visit to Ankara next month, according to what was announced by the Turkish Foreign Minister.
Cavusoglu said that the new Swedish government wants to strengthen its relations with Turkey in all fields, pointing to the recent increase in bilateral meetings.
The Turkish minister welcomed Swedish statements regarding the lifting of restrictions on Turkey in the field of defense industries, but said that Turkish companies "have not yet received the necessary positive response regarding the import of some products."