Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which declared an insurgency against Turkey in 1980, and Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider it a terrorist organization.
Sweden, along with the United States and several NATO members, supported the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in their fight against the terrorist organization ISIS.
However, Turkey has vowed to block Sweden’s bid to join the alliance if it does not stop supporting these factions.
“There is a very close link between these organizations and the PKK, which benefits from the good relationship between us and Turkey,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bellstrom told state radio.
“The main objective is Sweden’s membership in NATO,” he added.
The move comes just days before Prime Minister Ulf Christerson travels to Ankara to try to persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to allow Sweden to join the military alliance.
Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance earlier this year, after Russia announced its own operation in Ukraine.
And 28 of the 30 NATO members agreed to the request.
Stoltenberg: “It’s time to welcome” Finland and Sweden
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stressed Thursday that Sweden and Finland are committed to working with Turkey to address its concerns about their possible membership in the alliance, considering that the time has come to welcome them.
“It is time to welcome Finland and Sweden as members of NATO,” he told a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul.
“I understand your concerns,” Stoltenberg explained, adding that Finland and Sweden are keen to work closely with Turkey to combat “terrorism”, adding that this is “also in their interests.”
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