Turkey tells Sweden to hurry for NATO entry
Turkey has stalled Sweden and Finland’s membership bids to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on grounds that the countries have not cracked down enough on outlawed groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK. The Turkish government has especially pressured Sweden, requesting the extradition of dozens of suspects.
Speaking to a group of journalists in Istanbul on Saturday, Kalin welcomed Sweden’s constitutional amendments on terrorism laws but said the legal implementation would take up to six months. “Maybe it can do some of these things administratively or through other means,” the spokesman said, adding Sweden could make some changes before June.
Sweden has to “show through actions, and not just through words or statements, that the PKK will not be present, will not be allowed to collect money, or to recruit members,” he said.
The PKK has waged a decades-long armed conflict in Turkey’s southeast seeking greater autonomy and freedoms for the country’s largest Kurdish minority. It is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.