Swedish NATO negotiations underway but far from goal

Sweden’s NATO membership was discussed between representatives from Sweden, Finland and Turkey in Ankara on Wednesday to help move the process forward, but Sweden is far from reaching that goal, according to Swedish NATO negotiator Oscar Stenström.

According to Stenström, the meeting focused on how Sweden complies with the trilateral agreement with Turkey and Finland signed a year ago. More specifically, they discussed Sweden’s new anti-terrorism legislation that came into force on 1 June and its work against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party, considered by Turkey, the EU and the US as a terrorist organisation) and arms exports.

“But we are far from reaching the goal,” he said at a press conference.

“The fight against the PKK has intensified,” said Stenström, citing last week’s prosecution of a suspected PKK financier as an example.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is most dissatisfied with Sweden allowing demonstrations with PKK flags, to which Stenström answered that Sweden has far-reaching freedom of expression.

On Wednesday, the newly reelected Turkish president declared that Sweden should not expect Turkey to accept the Swedish NATO application before the summit in Vilnius in July.

“Sweden has expectations. This does not mean we will fulfil them,” Erdogan said to the press, adding that for Turkey to meet these expectations, Sweden must first do its part.

Erdogan believes that the Swedish police should say no to more demonstrations in which Kurdish opponents take part. As long as what he calls “terrorists” continue to demonstrate in Sweden, the country will not change, he added.

But Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson defended his government’s actions during the questions to the prime minister in parliament, arguing that his country did what it said it would do on the matter.

“Sweden has the same legislation as many NATO allies, where freedom of expression allows demonstrations,” he said, adding that participation in demonstrations and the use of symbols are already used as evidence in the prosecution of the suspected PKK financier.

The fact that such things can be used as evidence under the new legislation, the NATO negotiator believes, could discourage people from participating in such demonstrations and therefore convince Turkey to say yes to Sweden’s NATO application.

In view of Turkey’s reluctance, Stenström did not want to speculate on when Sweden might join NATO and pointed out that it is not only Erdogan’s approval that is needed but also Turkey’s parliament.

“Sweden could become a member any day,” he said.

(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)