Sweden expresses desire to expand cooperation with Turkiye

By Atila Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) - Sweden's prime minister on Tuesday expressed her country's will to expand cooperation with Turkiye within NATO.

Speaking at a news conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto in Stockholm, Magdalena Andersson said Sweden cares about negotiating with Turkiye on her country's bid for NATO membership.

"Like NATO and the EU, Sweden also stands for fighting all forms of terrorism," she said, adding that they are ready for dialogue with Turkiye "to discuss and resolve existing question marks."

Saying that she is ready to pay a visit to Turkiye regarding the issue, Andersson confirmed that Finland and Sweden are to submit their bids to join the military alliance together on Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

For his part, Niinisto said he was surprised over Turkiye opposing Finland and Sweden's NATO membership and voiced readiness for negotiations with Ankara.

Turkiye, a longstanding NATO member, has voiced its objections to Finland and Sweden’s membership bids, criticizing the two Nordic countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups like the YPG/PKK and FETO.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkiye, 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.