Yesterday, Saturday, Sweden’s Charge d’Affaires in Turkey was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara to justify using “terrorist propaganda” in favor of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during a demonstration in Sweden, a diplomatic source said.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry on Sunday confirmed that the “meeting” took place in the Turkish capital, without specifying the details.
Ankara accuses Stockholm, like Helsinki, of sympathizing with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies, whom it considers “terrorist organizations.” That is why I set conditions for Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
A diplomatic source in Turkey said: “After taking note of the terrorist propaganda carried out by PKK/PYD/YPG supporters in Gothenburg, Sweden, on July 21, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Swedish Embassy in Ankara was summoned to the ministry. Foreign Affairs and the expression of our strong reaction.
In this context, Turkey asks to “identify the perpetrators of these acts and take the necessary legal and judicial measures, as well as practical measures,” according to the source.
Turkey’s reaction follows demonstrations organized last week in Sweden to commemorate the tenth anniversary of “Rojava (the Kurdish uprising in Syria) and the memory of those who sacrificed everything for a better world,” the Swedish Committee of Rojava said in a tweet.
Ankara, which has been blocking the entry of the two Nordic countries into NATO since May, signed a memorandum of understanding in June linking their entry to the fight against Kurdish movements and their supporters on its territory.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again threatened to “freeze” their accession, accusing Sweden of “non-participation” in the fight against terrorism and “showing a bad image” in this matter.
This new tension over NATO expansion comes amid Turkey’s threat two months ago to launch an operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Syria to create a “security zone” along the border.
