Sweden allows another pro-PKK rally despite promises to Türkiye
Supporters of the PKK and its Syrian branch YPG held a new demonstration in Sweden on Saturday against Turkey’s operations against the terrorist group, despite Stockholm’s latest promises to Ankara.
Supporters of the terrorist organization gathered at Norra Bantorget in the capital Stockholm and demanded that the NATO agreement between Sweden and Turkey be cancelled.
The protesters, dressed in rags symbolizing the PKK/YPG, unfurled the poster of the imprisoned leader of the terrorist organization, Abdullah Öcalan.
Supporters of terrorism marched in the city center without any interruption by the police forces.
Sweden’s Riksdag is expected to vote on November 16 on a draft bill to tighten the laws against terrorism.
Reports said the constitutional committee proposed a bill restricting freedom of assembly for groups linked to terrorism.
The authorities will be given the opportunity to become more effective in the fight against terrorism with the new law. The law is expected to take effect on January 1 if it passes.
Türkiye expects Sweden to ease Ankara’s concerns about terrorism under the tripartite memorandumrepeated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week, urging Stockholm to take more concrete steps.
At a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the Turkish capital Ankara, Erdoğan said his country is satisfied that the new Swedish government said it will abide by the tripartite memorandum signed in Madrid.
“Sweden wants NATO membership for its own security, and Turkey wants to see a Sweden that supports alleviating Ankara’s security problems,” he added.
The PKK, its Syrian branch YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the DHKP-C terrorist groups “must be prevented from exploiting Sweden’s democratic environment,” he also said, noting that PKK terrorists should not be allowed to protest wearing their organization’s rags. in Sweden.
Kristersson, for his part, said his country will “fully implement the tripartite memorandum” signed in June between Sweden, Turkey and Finland.
Stockholm understands that Ankara is engaged in a fight against the terrorist group PKK and wants to help in that fight, the prime minister said, stressing that he had a “positive” meeting with Erdoğan.
“We will take big steps towards the end of this year and the beginning of next year, especially in anti-terror legislation,” he said, adding that his country would take any threats against Sweden and Turkey “seriously”.
Along with Finland, Sweden applied to join NATO in May in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Türkiye had protested over security concerns related to the outlawed PKK and other terrorist groups, and over the Nordic states’ ban on arms exports.
The three sides signed a memorandum in June that lifted Turkey’s veto and committed Sweden and Finland to address their remaining concerns.
The trilateral agreement that Türkiye, Sweden and Finland signed in June means that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG and FETÖ. The agreement also said that Ankara provides full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security.
The YPG is an extension of the PKK, which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the US.
Sweden, together with the US and several other NATO countries, has supported the US-backed YPG in the fight against Daesh. Turkey has promised to block Sweden’s application if it does not cease.
All 30 standing NATO allies must approve any expansion of the bloc. The application has been approved by 28 of NATO’s 30 countries. The Nordic countries said this week they were optimistic Hungary would also drop its objections.