Türkiye, Sweden to advance security talks at key meeting

ANKARA

Türkiye and Sweden will hold a key meeting to advance their security cooperation, especially against PKK’s presence and activities on the latter’s soil, in line with a bilateral agreement that allowed the Swedish admission into NATO.

The meeting, dubbed the Security Compact, will be held under the leadership of two countries’ foreign ministers, Hakan Fidan and Maria Malmer Stenergard on Sept. 18 in the capital Ankara, according to diplomatic sources.

Stenergard, who has recently been appointed as the Swedish top diplomat, is realizing her first abroad visit to Ankara.

The sources underlined that the meetings to be held in Ankara have a special significance in terms of improving bilateral dialogue in the field of counterterrorism.

The decision to create the Security Compact mechanism was given at a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during the alliance’s Vilnius Summit in July 2023.

Türkiye had greenlighted Sweden’s and Finland’s joining the alliance only after these two Nordic states agreed to fight against the presence of PKK and other anti-Türkiye terror organizations.

A trilateral agreement signed between Türkiye, Sweden and Finland in June 2022 stipulated the implementation of a road map that outlined the measures these two countries will fulfill in combatting terror. Finland entered NATO in 2023 and Sweden in early 2024.

In Ankara, Turkish and Swedish officials will review the ongoing security cooperation and discuss what additional measures can be taken against PKK, PYD and FETÖ.

In line with the trilateral agreement, Sweden had amended its anti-terror law and changed some of its constitutional articles in a bid to better fight against terror organizations. As a result of these changes, membership in a terror organization, such as PKK, and participating in activities for financing these groups have become crimes.

Along with security issues, Fidan and Stenergard will also discuss regional and international developments, including the ongoing Russian occupation of Ukraine and the situation in Gaza.

Türkiye, Sweden mark 100th anniversary

Another important aspect of the Swedish foreign minister’s visit to Ankara is the fact that Türkiye and Sweden mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Sweden is Türkiye’s biggest trade partner among the Nordic states with a $4.1 billion trade volume in 2023. The two countries aim to increase it to $5 billion. Following joining NATO as the 32nd ally in March 2024, Sweden lifted the arms embargo on Türkiye.