On Saturday, Ankara summoned the Swedish Chargé d’Affairs to Turkey to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide a justification for the use of “terrorist propaganda” in favor of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during a demonstration in Sweden, according to a diplomatic source.
On Sunday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed that a “meeting” took place in the Turkish capital, without giving further details.
Ankara accuses Stockholm, as well as Helsinki, of sympathizing with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies, which it considers “terrorist organizations”. For this reason, conditions were set for Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
A diplomatic source in Turkey told AFP: “After taking note of the terrorist propaganda carried out by supporters of the PKK/PYD/YPG in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 21, the Chargé d’Affairs of the Swedish Embassy in Ankara was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Express our strong reaction.”
In this context, Turkey requests that “the perpetrators of these acts be identified, and that the necessary legal and judicial measures and practical measures be taken,” according to the source.
Turkey’s reaction follows demonstrations organized last week in Sweden to celebrate the tenth anniversary of “Rojava (the Kurdish uprising in Syria) and the memory of those who sacrificed everything for a better world,” according to a tweet by the “Swedish Committee for Rojava.” “.
Ankara, which has been blocking since May the two countries’ accession to NATO, signed a memorandum of understanding in June linking their accession to fighting Kurdish movements and their supporters on its soil.
Last Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened again to “freeze” their accession, accusing Sweden of not “participating” in the fight against terrorism and “showing a bad image” in this matter.
These new tensions over the expansion of the alliance come against the backdrop of Turkey’s threat two months ago to launch an operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Syria to create a “safe zone” along the border.