Stockholm has reaffirmed its determination to implement steps required under the tripartite memorandum it signed with Finland and Türkiye during a June NATO summit held in Madrid in response to the Turkish public’s worries about whether Sweden will take concrete action to distance itself from terrorist groups.
Five months into the agreement, Oscar Stenström, Sweden's chief negotiator for its NATO accession, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that constructive talks with Ankara continued in a way that fulfills the promises made in the accord.
He said that these promises were a top priority for the Swedish government, which was elected in September.
"We're working on all of them, we will fulfill the total agreement," he assured.
Swedish lawmakers recently introduced tougher restrictions on freedom of association for those engaged in terrorism, one of Türkiye's key demands for it to approve Stockholm's NATO membership. "This will make it tougher for anyone who is involved in any terrorist crime, especially the PKK," said Stenström.
Conveying condolences for a recent terror attack by the PKK/YPG on Istanbul's Istiklal Street, the diplomat said Stockholm was always ready to do its part in the fight against terrorism. "The good bilateral relations that we have between Sweden and Türkiye will be even stronger when Sweden is accepted as a NATO member," he said, underlining that his country takes terrorism seriously and will fulfill the memorandum.
Improving security
Stockholm has long been criticized by Ankara for housing members of various terrorist organizations, particularly members of the PKK and, in recent years, the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ) – the organization behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye.
Stenström said this was no longer the case. "Yes, we have changed. And we have realized better the security concerns of Türkiye. This will also improve the security of Sweden."
Stockholm sees that "financing terrorism, financing the PKK" is a threat to Türkiye as well as Sweden, as it often goes hand in hand with organized crime. "This is hurting the Swedish society right now," he asserted.
The demands that Ankara has cited in the memorandum will be delivered in full, stated Stenström, who affirmed that Sweden joining the trans-Atlantic alliance would make Türkiye safer. The security apparatuses of his country are working in that direction, he added.
"Sweden should and will never be a safe haven for any terrorist, and that's why we're also increasing our cooperation between our security services. We're dedicating more funds to these services and defense. We will be happy to cooperate in NATO."
Clamping down on PKK
Türkiye has provided a list of wanted individuals to Sweden and is expecting the Scandinavian nation to take swift action to show that its demands are being taken care of.
"We have promised in the memorandum that we will handle the extradition cases. We have promised to go through this swiftly and thoroughly to look into the cases and also to provide good evidence to each other," said Stenström.
Stressing that legal procedures were ongoing for each case, the official said security departments were granted extensive powers to fight terrorism, with communication channels established with Turkish security services as well.
"And on the law enforcement side, the Swedish security service, as well as the Swedish police authority, have given new directives to work harder to find PKK activists and this is especially targeted to the financing of terrorism. And, we have already seen there was one deportation last Friday."
According to the Swedish government, each case will be dealt with individually and if found guilty, suspects who are residents will lose their residency, paving the way for their extradition to Türkiye. "The Turkish government and the Turkish citizens can feel safe. We will work harder on this and we have already delivered and we will deliver it."
Bipartisan backing
Highlighting the fact that Sweden has been militarily nonaligned for over 200 years, Stenström said previous governments had also acted after the annexation of Georgian territories in 2008 and the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, while the Russian war in Ukraine has had a strong impact on society.
Though the Swedes have the European Union's backing, this was not deemed a strong-enough defensive shield. Stockholm recognizes that a "big shift" is occurring in its security doctrine as it pursues the protection of NATO's Article 5, which obliges all members to collectively support any ally that comes under an outside attack. "Even if we are very committed within the European Union, we need Article 5," the official underscored.
For Sweden and Finland to become NATO members, their applications must be ratified by all 30 NATO members. So far, 28 have already done so – only Türkiye and Hungary have votes still pending.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.
However, Türkiye voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
Ahead of a historic NATO summit, the three countries signed a trilateral deal in June that prevented a Turkish veto. In the memorandum, the Nordic countries said they’d address Türkiye’s extradition requests for terrorists. Sweden and Finland said they "confirm" the PKK is a terrorist organization and promised "to not provide support" to the YPG.
Sweden and Finland agreed earlier this summer to assure Türkiye of their support against security risks. Türkiye is awaiting the extradition of dozens of terrorist suspects from the two Nordic countries.
Last week, Sweden deported an unnamed man who fled there after being convicted by a Turkish court of membership in an armed organization, the PKK, in 2015. He was identified as Mahmut Tat who had been sentenced to more than six years in prison.