Amid Türkiye’s concerns that Sweden was not taking concrete steps against the PKK, the terrorist group emerged once again as a thorn in the relations between the two countries.
Türkiye on Saturday condemned “in strongest terms” a new provocation by the terrorist group in Sweden that targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “We condemn in the strongest terms the fact that a PKK-affiliated group was allowed to make propaganda with the symbols of a terrorist organization and to commit an outrageous act against our president,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry noted commitments undertaken by the Swedish government in the context of preventing actions of the PKK terror group and its affiliates.
Earlier, supporters of the terrorist group carried out a provocative act by putting LGBT symbols on the so-called effigy of Erdoğan at an LGBT gathering held in Stockholm. The provocative stunt was staged during the Stockholm Pride Parade event, which was also attended by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Carrying pieces of cloth symbolizing the PKK, the demonstrators also opposed Sweden’s NATO bid.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the provocation of the supporters of the terrorist organization PKK, which took place today in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden,” Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç wrote on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter. “It is unacceptable for Sweden to allow terrorist organizations’ activities and to remain silent about provocations against our President. Sweden, which wants to become our ally in NATO, must remain faithful to its commitments by not allowing the activities of terrorist organizations. Terrorism is a crime against humanity. It is the primary duty of states of law to prevent all kinds of acts of terrorist organizations,” he wrote.
In January, terror supporters gathered in front of the historical City Hall in the capital Stockholm, hung a figure of Erdoğan in effigy by the feet on a pole in front of the building and shared video footage of the moment on social media. In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
At a recent NATO summit in Lithuania, Erdoğan agreed to forward to Parliament Sweden’s bid to join NATO for a ratification vote. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership shortly after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022. Although Türkiye approved Finland’s membership to NATO, it is waiting for Sweden to fulfill its commitments not to provide shelter to terrorists and supporters of terrorists, and not to greenlight their actions.
Stockholm reassured Türkiye that it would not support terrorist organizations PKK/YPG and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in the aftermath of its NATO membership and that a new bilateral security mechanism will be created between Ankara and Stockholm. NATO will also establish a Special Coordinator on Counterterrorism for the first time, in the bloc’s history.
Before the NATO summit in Lithuania, Erdoğan told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Sweden must stop the PKK terrorist organization from freely organizing protests in the country to get a green light on its NATO membership bid. “Türkiye maintains its constructive stance regarding Sweden’s membership, but legislative amendments would be meaningless so long as PKK/YPG supporters organize demonstrations freely in that country,” Erdoğan had told Stoltenberg in a June phone call. Last month, the president reiterated that Sweden’s membership would be ratified (or rejected) by Parliament once it ended its summer recess.
Quran burnings
Sweden, along with Denmark, is also repeatedly criticized for allowing anti-Islam acts, particularly public burnings of the Quran, the holy book of millions of Muslims. In recent months, incidents of Quran desecration in both countries prompted outrage among Muslims, who called for the countries to ban the acts. Türkiye was among the most vocal critics of the burnings. Though the Swedish government condemned the acts and announced measures to prevent the desecration, they also insisted on adhering to the “freedom of expression” for the people involved in incidents. The burnings were not widespread at first but became more commonplace after Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish far-right politician, launched a new spate of burnings in Denmark and Sweden, for what he called a reaction to Türkiye’s opposition to the Swedish NATO bid.
Source : Daily Sabah