Turkey criticizes Sweden’s refusal to extradite the reporter
ISTANBUL — Turkey on Tuesday (Dec 20) criticized Sweden’s refusal to extradite a reporter that Ankara has demanded in exchange for its ratification of Stockholm’s NATO membership.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants Sweden to return dozens of people he suspects of involvement in a failed coup in 2016.
But the now-defunct Today’s Zaman former editor-in-chief Bulent Kenes was the only person Erdogan specifically mentioned by name.
Sweden’s highest court cited the risk of Turkey’s “persecution based on this person’s political beliefs” when it blocked the request on Monday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the decision in brief comments to reporters.
“The rejection of our request for the extradition of Bulent Kenes is a very negative development,” Cavusoglu said.
Cavusoglu stressed that Sweden’s extradition earlier this month of a man suspected of membership in a banned Kurdish rebel group was insufficient to win Turkey’s approval.
“If they expect that they can return one person and then finish this deal, this is not realistic,” Cavusoglu said.
“We no longer want to hear good words from Sweden and Finland, we want to see concrete steps.”
Breaking with decades of military non-alignment, Sweden and Finland decided to apply for NATO membership in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey and Hungary are still the only NATO member states that have not ratified the Nordic countries’ applications.
Cavusoglu said he would have more discussions on the dispute during a visit to Ankara on Thursday by Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström. AFP