Sweden’s extradition of PKK member shows goodwill: Turkey
Ankara: Sweden’s extradition of an alleged member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) shows “good will” and Ankara expects more such moves during the Nordic country’s NATO application process, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
“The Swedish government deported a PKK terrorist and sent him to Turkey. If you ask what that means in terms of this process, we see it as a beginning in terms of showing sincerity and goodwill. I hope it continues with the same sincerity,” Bozdag told local media on Monday.
On December 3, Sweden expelled Turkish citizen Mahmut Tat, who had sought asylum in Stockholm in 2015 after being sentenced in Turkey to six years and ten months in prison for being linked to the PKK.
He was arrested by Swedish police on 22 November.
Sweden’s move comes over Turkey’s pressure for the extradition of several suspects for being members of the groups that Ankara has designated as terrorist organizations.
Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid was initially blocked by Ankara, which accused them of supporting anti-Turkey groups when they rejected extradition requests for suspects linked to the PKK and the Gulen movement.
On June 28, Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid.
Sweden and Finland pledged to support Turkey’s fight against terrorism and agreed to quickly and thoroughly deal with Ankara’s ongoing deportation or extradition requests for terror suspects.
Turkey remains one of two NATO members yet to ratify its accession, as Ankara has complained that the two countries have been too slow to meet their commitments regarding Turkish security concerns.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU, has been insurgent against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
The Gulen movement, led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, has been accused by the Turkish government of being behind the failed 2016 coup to overthrow the government.