Sweden's top diplomat hopes to join NATO this year

By Atilla Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) – Sweden's foreign minister said on Thursday that she hoped the country would join NATO before the end of the year.

Speaking to the Swedish news agency TT, Ann Linde said she hopes Sweden will join NATO at the same time as Finland before 2023.

In response to Türkiye's concerns and ongoing talks, she said the Turkish government must first submit such a proposal to parliament.

“There they continue to say that they first want to see concrete results from the trilateral agreement. And that's what we're working on. The trilateral agreement between Sweden, Finland and Türkiye was concluded in June. There, among other things, increased cooperation against terrorism is promised,” the top diplomat said.

“Türkiye submits the request with extradition, and so it is handled in accordance with our legislation and the European convention on extradition and it is also stated in the agreement,” she added.

Linde said discussions with Türkiye were mainly focused on “Sweden strengthening its anti-terrorism legislation, which was already underway before the agreement with Türkiye was concluded. In part, it is about intensifying cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”

She said Sweden hopes to join NATO alongside Finland, and the Finnish government and president have stated unequivocally that they are on the same page.

To a question about the possibility of Türkiye’s ratifying Sweden’s membership taking longer than expected, possibly until the summer of 2023, Linde said, “It is a possibility that we must include (in the calculation). Therefore, the security guarantees we received from the US, UK, the Nordic countries, and a few other countries are very, very important.”

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, Türkiye voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the two countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

A memorandum of understanding signed by Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden at NATO's June summit in Madrid, Spain stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the PKK/YPG, or the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye that left 251 killed and 2,734 wounded.

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.

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

*Writing and contribution by Busra Nur Cakmak in Ankara