Sweden has fulfilled its commitments with Türkiye to join NATO, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Friday.
It is now “in the hands of Türkiye to decide,” he said at a news conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Paris.
He noted Stockholm's goal is the same as Ankara's: to fight terrorism.
Answering a question by Anadolu Agency (AA) about where his government is in its fight against the PKK, he reiterated that Stockholm had fulfilled its commitments and that cooperation between Swedish and Turkish police has improved significantly.
"Sweden's stance on the PKK is very clear. That's why we wanted to fulfill everything written and decided in the memorandum to become a NATO member," he said.
"It is in everyone's interest, including Türkiye, and we are counting on it now that the elections are over to ratify Sweden's membership quickly," Colonna said for her part.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin similarly called on Türkiye to allow Sweden's entry into NATO during an introductory meeting on Friday with his new Turkish counterpart during a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
"My purpose in meeting him today was an introductory meeting, just to congratulate him on being installed as minister of defense. Of course, (I) seize every opportunity to encourage him to move forward and approve the accession of Sweden," Austin told a news conference at NATO headquarters.
Stockholm’s accession has been delayed due to objections from member countries Türkiye and Hungary. However, the United States and NATO want to see Sweden join before the summit in Vilnius.
In a historic turnaround, Sweden and Finland abandoned their longstanding policies of military non-alliance and applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary for NATO membership, and continuing terror-affiliated and anti-Türkiye protests risk endangering Sweden’s NATO bid further.
Ankara ratified Finland’s membership in March, enabling it to become a full member of the defense alliance.
Ankara said Sweden must first take a more explicit stance against terrorists. Türkiye has frequently voiced that it does not oppose NATO expansion but criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that pose a security threat to Ankara.
Terrorist propaganda, as well as the burning of Islam’s holy book outside Türkiye’s Embassy in Stockholm in January, which sparked anger in the Islamic world, leading to weeks of protests, and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, have contributed to Sweden’s long-spun process.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said Saturday that Sweden could become a NATO member like Finland if it fulfills its pledges to Türkiye.
Meeting reporters in Brussels after the NATO defense ministers meeting, Güler expressed support for the military alliance’s “open door” policy.
Güler also noted they conveyed Türkiye’s views on the agenda items firsthand during the meeting.
“We expressed our sensitivity in the fight against terrorism, as in every environment. We underlined that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations should be fought without discrimination. We emphasized our determination to fight against all terrorist organizations, including the PKK/YPG, FETÖ, Daesh and al-Qaida. We expect full support from all our allies in this regard,” he said.
