Supporters of the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, gathered in Stockholm on Saturday chanting slogans backing the terrorist organization despite a recent deal with Türkiye in which Sweden pledged to curb the presence of terrorists in the country.
Swedish police stood aside as the terror supporters carried PKK/YPG flags and banners.
Protests in Sweden against Turkish officials and Turks have often turned violent, with threats made against the Turkish Embassy previously.
The embassy walls were plastered with posters and defaced with painted PKK slogans in the past.
According to the Turkish Embassy, police were informed on many occasions but "refused to take any action."
These protests are regular occurrences in the country, since, according to the Turkish government, Sweden is known to host, finance, and support the PKK/YPG militarily despite it being considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European and the United States.
Earlier, Türkiye's Ambassador to Sweden Hakkı Emre Yunt urged the Nordic country to cut ties with the PKK/YPG and to stop supporting and arming the terrorist groups that threaten Turkish security and the security of others.
"When we fought against YPG in Syria we found some weapons which were made in Sweden," the ambassador noted.
Sweden regularly sends official delegations to areas in eastern Syria occupied by the YPG for talks with terrorist leaders and holds regular meetings with the terrorist group.
Among its many shattering consequences, President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO as protection against an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable Russia – which shares a long border with Finland. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any member would be considered an attack against all and trigger a military response by the entire alliance.
Only Türkiye has opposed their applications, demanding concessions from Helsinki and Stockholm in return for approval.
A deal was struck between the three countries in June, which included provisions on extraditions and sharing information, clearing the way for NATO to formally invite the Nordic nations to join the alliance.
However, Ankara has insisted it could still block entry into the Western alliance – which requires ratification by all NATO member states – if it feels Sweden and Finland fail to deliver on their promises.
The three countries met in August for the first time since the Madrid deal to discuss Ankara's conditions for accepting the applications.
During the meeting Finland and Sweden reiterated that they will show full solidarity and cooperation with Türkiye in the fight against terror groups, pledging not to support groups threatening Türkiye's national security.
Tight election race
The fate of the deal and Sweden’s accession to NATO will also be affected by general elections in the country.
All parties, except the Left and the Greens, back joining NATO but the incoming government will need to manage the country's tense relations with Ankara, which has insisted it could still block the countries' entry if it feels Sweden and Finland do not deliver on their commitments.
Extraditions
Another obstacle to fulfilling the deal is the issue of Türkiye’s extradition requests from the Nordic countries, which have not seen any progress yet.
Finland said last week it would not overturn previously denied extradition requests from Türkiye as Ankara awaits the deportation of terrorist suspects from the Nordic countries.
In early August, Sweden announced the first extradition of a Turkish citizen after the agreement, but Türkiye’s justice minister later said that the extradition fell far short of Stockholm's commitments under the deal.
"So far, none of the persons accused of terrorism offenses from Sweden and Finland, whose extradition has been requested by Türkiye, have been extradited," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ underlined.
The Swedish government said earlier this month that it would deport Okan Kale – a man convicted of credit card fraud who appeared on a list of people sought by Ankara published by Turkish media.
"Our expectation is not about those who are accused of fraud," Bozdağ said.