Sweden’s refusal to investigate PKK provocation angers Türkiye
Sweden continues to anger Ankara for tolerating the activities of the PKK terrorist group. Ömer Çelik, the spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), strongly criticized Sweden for refusing to prosecute the terrorist group’s supporters for last week’s provocative demonstrations against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital Stockholm.
“Once again, the silence of those who claim to advocate democracy, pluralism and freedom in the face of this heinous act of terrorism means nothing more than supporting terrorism,” Çelik told reporters in the capital Ankara on Monday.
Actions depicting the assassination of a country’s head of state would not be considered freedom of speech anywhere in the world, Çelik said, reiterating that what PKK supporters did last week “has nothing to do with freedom of speech.” The Swedish prosecutor’s decision not to punish the perpetrators means that “a terrorist group can take whatever measures it wants in Sweden; it can threaten heads of state in friendly countries,” he said. Çelik called out Sweden for becoming a “propaganda center for terrorists”. He warned that the ambiguous stance of Swedish politicians and the judiciary on terrorism and counter-terrorism constitutes a threat to the country’s own national interests.
“During our negotiations in Türkiye, they (Swedish officials) said they would work seriously to revise their laws on terrorism and make them stronger,” said Çelik, who spoke to journalists after a meeting with the AK Party’s central board. Although they have taken some steps, the situation remains the same, he added. He called on the Swedish authorities to fulfill the promises of anti-terrorist efforts that they made in order to become a member of NATO.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May 2022, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine. But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – expressed objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups, including the PKK and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance. Turkey has praised some steps taken by Sweden and Finland but says the countries must do more to show their firm stance against terrorism and terrorist groups that threaten Turkey.
Support for students
Also on Monday, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed support for a university student whose internship application was rejected by a professor in Sweden who claimed he could not host her because Turkey has blocked Sweden’s entry into NATO.
Çavuşoğlu shared footage on Twitter of his phone conversation with Fatma Zehra S., a third-year student studying psychology at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, saying she has shown “a stance befitting a Turkish woman. Unfortunately, we can see that countries celebrate democracy and human rights tie a political issue to a student’s future.”
Çavuşoğlu emphasized Turkey’s solidarity with Fatma, saying on Twitter: “Our stance against racism, xenophobia and discrimination is clear.” He added, “The incident Zehra encountered at a Swedish university is a bad example of politics in education. During our phone conversation, I congratulated her for her acumen and dignified attitude.”
Fatma was accepted by the EU’s Erasmus+ program for an internship in the summer of 2023 at a university of her choice. Among the internships she applied for was at Sweden’s Stockholm University. On November 23, Fatma sent an email to Professor Per Carlbring, who leads a research group in clinical psychology at the university, asking to participate in a research project led by him. Within a few hours, Carlbring replied in English: “I would love to receive you. But since Turkey does not allow Sweden to join NATO, I must decline. Sorry!”