Sweden cannot fulfill all Turkish demands for NATO accession says PM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Jan 2023 19:21
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says despite Swedish inability to fulfill all of Turkey's NATO demands, it remains confident that the accession will happen.

Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson speaks during the annual Society and Defence Conference in Salen, Sweden, January 8, 2023 (Reuters).

The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, stated on Sunday that his country cannot meet all of Turkey's demands as a condition for its support but is confident that Turkey will ultimately approve Sweden's accession bid to join NATO.

“Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to give them,” Kristersson moted at a defense conference, in the presence of NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, in Sweden.

Kristersson added “We are convinced that Turkey will make a decision, we just don’t know when,”and hinted that the decision will depend on internal Turkish politics as well as “Sweden’s capacity to show its seriousness.”

Turkey eyes ‘concrete steps’ from Sweden

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last December that Turkey expects “not kind words but concrete steps” to address its security concerns from Sweden and Finland, in reference to Ankara's desire for PKK members' extradition.

As there is nothing more to say regarding Turkey’s demands, Cavusoglu stated at a joint news conference with his Gambian counterpart Mamadou Tangara that "concrete steps must be taken from now on," regarding the extradition of suspects, the freezing of terrorist assets, and the cessation of terrorist activities.

A "particularly unfortunate event," according to Cavusoglu, is Sweden's refusal to extradite Bulent Kenes, a suspect in an alleged terrorist attack, to Turkey.