Türkiye motivated in its fight against terrorism: Svenska FM
Turkey has the right to defend itself against terrorism, Sweden’s foreign minister said on Monday regarding Turkey’s anti-terrorism efforts in northern Syria and northern Iraq, near the Turkish border.
Türkiye “is a state that has been subjected to terrorist attacks, and all states have the right to defend themselves,” Tobias Billström told Sweden’s local newspaper in Paris, where he attended a donor conference for Moldova to help the country deal with the effects of the Ukraine war and rising food and energy prices.
Early on Sunday, Claw-Sword Air Operation was carried out by Turkish forces in northern Iraq and northern Syria, both areas used by terrorists as hideouts to plan and carry out attacks against Turkey.
The operation came after last Sunday’s terrorist attack against Istanbul’s Istiklal Street which killed at least six people and left 81 injured. The ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
“It is important to avoid civilian casualties and civilian targets,” noted Billström.
In previous days, however, sympathizers of the PKK terrorist organization’s offshoot YPG held a demonstration in Sweden’s capital Stockholm calls for an end to Turkey’s fight against terrorism near its border.
Supporters of the terrorist group gathered in Sergels Torg square and demanded that Sweden impose an arms embargo on Turkey and cancel the agreement reached in June on Sweden’s future NATO membership while carrying posters, rags and other objects symbolizing the terrorist outfit and calling for Operation Claw- Swords to be Stopped.
Due to this reason, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Sweden’s ambassador in Ankara, Staffan Herrström, to express concern about the projection of anti-Türkiye terrorist PKK propaganda. The ministry summoned Herrström and condemned the incident, diplomatic sources said.
Most recently, Sweden’s Riksdag adopted one constitutional amendment which will enable the introduction of new laws to “restrict freedom of association in relation to associations that engage in or support terrorism” and enable “further criminalization of participation in a terrorist organization or the prohibition of a terrorist organization.” enters into force on 1 January.
The ministry demanded that Sweden initiate an investigation into the incident. They also demanded that Sweden identify the perpetrators, take precautionary measures and take concrete measures in line with the trilateral agreement signed between Turkey, Sweden and Finland on their bid for membership in NATO.
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 states that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG and the Gülenist Terror Group (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.