Finland said on Thursday it would not overturn previously denied extradition requests from Türkiye as Ankara expects the deportation of terrorist suspects from the Nordic countries under a recent deal.
The Nordic nation said Türkiye had asked Finland to reassess six previously rejected extradition requests.
"According to the Turkish request, they concern different crimes related to terrorism," Sonja Varpasuo, a senior specialist at the Finnish Justice Ministry told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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 requests to reevaluate the Finnish decisions came in August, the ministry said, adding that Türkiye had also submitted a new extradition request and that it had another already pending.
Varpasuo also said the decisions already made were final and "Türkiye had been told that the cases cannot be reassessed."
"Decisions made by the Ministry of Justice based on the Act on Extradition cannot be appealed," Varpasuo said, adding that the only exception was in the case of a completely new report from Türkiye, which it had not presented for any of the cases.
The three countries met in August for the first time since the Madrid deal to discuss Ankara's conditions for accepting the applications.
"Finland and Sweden have renewed their commitment to demonstrate full solidarity and cooperation with Türkiye in the fight against all forms and manifestations of terror," Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın's office said in a statement after the meeting.
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 extradite 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.”
