Sweden, seeking to win over Turkey, says it won’t be haven for terrorists
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, seeking to win over Turkish support for her country’s bid to join NATO, pledged on Monday not to let Sweden become “a safe haven for terrorists.”
Turkey has blocked bids by Sweden and Finland to join the Western military alliance, accusing them of harbouring Ankara’s foes including members of the banned Kurdish PKK militant group.
The two historically neutral Nordic countries applied to join NATO last month, one of the biggest shakeups in European security for decades, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Our stance regarding PKK is crystal clear. It is listed as a terror organisation in the European Union, and is regarded as such by Sweden,” Andersson told reporters in Brussels after meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of an alliance summit in Spain this week.
“Sweden is not and will not be a safe haven for terrorists. The relevant authorities work intensively in order to expel persons who could be a security threat – and there are a substantial number of cases which are currently processed,” Andersson said. [Reuters]
