Sweden 'no safe haven' for terrorism or PKK: Top NATO negotiator

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Sweden's top NATO negotiator on Wednesday reiterated the country's commitment to root out the PKK terrorist group.

Addressing a news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, Oscar Stenstrom said: "Sweden is no safe haven for terrorism. We are no safe haven for PKK. We have stepped up our cooperation between our police agencies, the police, and the security service together with the Turkish counterparts to be much more effective."

Earlier on Wednesday, he attended the fourth meeting of the permanent joint mechanism between Türkiye, Finland, Sweden and NATO.

The meeting was mostly about measures taken to counter the PKK, he said.

Also, in the meeting, he said he provided concrete results, including recent prosecutions for terrorist financing, aggravated assault, and extortion related to the PKK, demonstrating the effectiveness of Sweden's system.

He also mentioned a comprehensive package against terrorism that was put into force in July 2022, adding Sweden's Migration Board also played a role in preventing individuals with PKK connections from obtaining permanent or temporary residence in the country.

Cooperation between Sweden and Türkiye in combating terrorism and preventing PKK activities was also on the agenda of the talks, he said.

About the country's new anti-terror law, he said the legislation, effective from June 1, makes it illegal to promote or participate in a terrorist organization, he added.

Besides, touching upon the fulfillment of the June 2022 trilateral memorandum signed in Madrid to address Ankara's security concerns on terrorism, he said: "We have done enough to justify ratification of the Swedish application. We haven't reached a conclusion in that area. And we have agreed to continue the talks ahead of our values."

- Terrorist financial networks

The meeting also discussed the issue of tracking financial flows related to terrorist activities. When financial systems become increasingly regulated, criminals and terrorists turn to cash transactions, he said.

The Swedish and Turkish intelligence organizations have recognized this shift and are working together to counter such activities, he added.

The Swedish chief negotiator also emphasized that while freedom of speech is upheld, there are limitations, and hate speech laws exist in Sweden.

Stressing the importance of distinguishing between expressing sympathy and actively supporting terrorism, he said: "It depends if you only show sympathy or if you're actually helping promote and get involved in a terrorist organization. But I'm very clear, if a person carries a terrorist symbol and a PKK flag, and at the same time, is involved in terrorist activities or in PKK as an organization, the flag-carrying event can be used in the prosecution."

The meeting and news conference came before the NATO leaders convene in a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022.

Although Türkiye approved Finland's membership to NATO, it is waiting for Sweden to fulfill its commitments under the deal.

Several foreign ministers hope that Türkiye would approve Sweden's bid ahead of the NATO summit next month.

However, Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan made it clear that if Türkiye is expected to respond to Stockholm's expectations of accession to NATO, Sweden must also do its part on the terror group PKK ahead of the summit.