Issue of terrorism non-negotiable for Türkiye, communications director says on Sweden's NATO bid

By Rabia Iclal Turan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The issue of terrorism is non-negotiable for Türkiye, the country's communications director stressed on Sunday as Sweden's bid to join NATO continue.

"Sweden needs to make a concrete and permanent policy change on terrorism," Fahrettin Altun wrote on Sunday in an article in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

"Extraditing terrorists to Türkiye and preventing terrorist organizations from operating on Swedish soil are our sine qua non," he added.

Altun stressed that if Ankara's concerns are not addressed, there would be no way to "convince" the country to accept the two Nordic nations' NATO accession, adding: "Türkiye is not the old Türkiye."

Sweden, along with Finland, formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups such as the PKK and FETO. The accession requires unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member states.

"Now, there is a Türkiye that protects its interests at all costs and demands eye-level relations with every interlocutor on every platform. Everyone should get used to this fact," he asserted.

According to Altun, protecting terrorist organizations under the guise of "freedom of expression" and "political asylum" casts a shadow over Sweden's sincerity.

"Under current circumstances, it is not possible for us to explain to the Turkish people how and why we will be in a military alliance with a country that provides a safe haven to the PKK, which was involved in the assassination of Olof Palme (former Prime Minister of Sweden) and carried out suicide attacks in Türkiye, or FETO (Fetullah Terrorist Organization), which attempted a coup and killed 251 innocent people," he wrote.

In late May, Türkiye hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations in Ankara on their NATO applications. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the meetings had not been "at the desired level."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.