Turkish defense chief takes aim at 'disgusting' provocation in Sweden targeting President Erdogan

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye's defense chief on Tuesday strongly criticized a "disgusting" provocation by supporters of the PKK/YPG terrorist group in Sweden last week that targeted the Turkish president.

"We see that Sweden and Finland are yet to fulfill their commitments in the memorandum," National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said at an event in the Czech capital Prague, referring to an agreement inked in mid-2022 in which the two Nordic countries vowed to take steps against terrorists in order to gain membership in the NATO alliance.

Underlining Türkiye's supports for NATO's open-door policy, Akar said: "We expect concrete steps to end support for terrorist organizations and lift export restrictions. In particular, the fight against terrorism is an issue that is followed with sensitivity by the Turkish public."

Asked about last week's provocation by supporters of the PKK/YPG terrorist group, Akar strongly condemned the incident and urged Swedish authorities to take action.

"It's not possible to remain silent on this. We're following developments closely," he added.

The two countries signed a memorandum with Türkiye last June to address Ankara's security concerns and become members of NATO, which they are seeking in light of the nearby Russian war on Ukraine.

Unanimous agreement from all NATO members – including Türkiye, a member for more than 70 years – is needed for any new members to be admitted to the alliance.

Türkiye has praised some steps taken by Sweden and Finland but says the countries needs to do more, particularly in the wake of a provocative terrorist demonstration last week in Stockholm, Sweden which directly threatened Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.