According to Cavusoglu, the negotiations have just begun. “We’re not halfway there yet, we’re still at the beginning.” For example, it regrets that there are still no people who, according to Ankara, linked to terrorism, have been extradited to Turkey. The bank accounts and other assets of these people have not yet been frozen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling for the extradition of dozens of people as a condition for Sweden’s application to join NATO to be approved.
Cavusoglu spoke at a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom in Ankara. Billstrom said Stockholm had taken concrete steps to comply with all parts of the counter-terrorism deal signed by Sweden and Finland with Turkey in June. For example, the Swedish government promised last month to distance itself from the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia to welcome Turkey. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization and an extension of the Turkish-Kurdish PKK. This organization is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
Sweden has applied for NATO membership due to the war in Ukraine, as has Finland. The military alliance is made up of thirty countries and these must unanimously agree to the entry of new members. Only Turkey has not yet accepted the accession of Sweden and Finland. Hungary is the only other country that has not yet ratified its approval, but is expected to do so in early 2023.