Türkiye summons Swedish envoy over ‘insulting content’

ANKARA

Türkiye on Oct. 5 summoned the Swedish ambassador after “insulting content” about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan aired on Swedish public service television.

Foreign Ministry officials told Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrstrom that the “impertinent and ugly expression and images” about Erdoğan and Türkiye were unacceptable, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The move came as a Swedish delegation was holding a meeting with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara to discuss details about the extradition of “terror suspects” to Türkiye, as Ankara says it is a condition for approving Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO.

Turkish and Swedish justice ministry delegations started two-day talks on the extradition of terror suspects on Oct. 5 under a NATO agreement.

Ankara has long been urging Sweden and Finland to concretely support Türkiye’s fight against terror if they want to join NATO. Türkiye, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum of understanding on June 29 on the sidelines of the NATO Summit for the two Nordic states’ joining the alliance.

The trilateral agreement stipulates that Sweden and Finland cooperate with Türkiye against all sorts of terrorist organizations, including the PKK, the YPG and the FETÖ, if they want to be a member of the alliance.

Meanwhile, the Turkish and Swedish delegations from the two countries’ justice ministries held a seven-hour meeting in the Turkish capital in which they discussed Türkiye’s demand of extradition of terror convicts from NATO-aspirant Sweden.

According to the sources, the Turkish side has brought the extradition cases of terrorists being sheltered in Sweden to the table and repeated its demand of their extradition to Türkiye. These terrorists include members of the PKK and FETO terror organizations, the sources stressed.

Ankara has reiterated that Türkiye, Sweden and Finland signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding in late June and called on Sweden to fulfill its promises on the extradition of terrorists. The deal stipulates both Sweden and Finland will cooperate and extradite terrorists who are on their soils.

Türkiye demands the extradition of 27 persons from Sweden. Nine of them are the members of the PKK and three of them are from FETO. The sources said Türkiye will hold a similar meeting with Finland in the coming days.

Türkiye says it won’t ratify the two Nordic states’ bids to join the alliance if they don’t fully implement the agreement signed in June.