The leader of Sweden's far right, the first formation of the parliamentary majority, on Wednesday called Turkish President Erdogan an
"Islamist dictator"
, against a backdrop of deadlock in negotiations with Ankara over Sweden's entry into the EU. NATO.
Jimmie Åkesson and his Sweden Democrats (SD) party are not in government, but are Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's primary backing force in parliament.
The leader of the far-right party called not to give in too much to the Turkish president on NATO.
Turkey blocking
“We can't go too far. Because it is above all an undemocratic system and a dictator with which we have to deal,”
he declared in an interview with the daily Dagens Nyheter.
“I am a party leader of the anti-Islamist SD party, and I have strong opinions about an Islamist dictator like Erdogan.
He is elected by the people, yes.
But it is also the case of Putin
, ”says the leader of the Swedish far-right formation.
These declarations come as the Swedish-Turkish negotiations concerning Sweden's entry into NATO appear to be at an impasse.
At the start of January, Ulf Kristersson felt that Ankara was asking for things that Stockholm couldn't and wouldn't give them.
Turkey is
"not in a position"
to ratify Sweden's membership in NATO as it stands, said Saturday Ibrahim Kalin, close adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a new diplomatic incident.
Last week, a pro-Kurdish group hung a mannequin bearing the image of Erdogan by the feet in front of Stockholm City Hall, denouncing a
“dictator”.
Both the Turkish and Swedish governments strongly condemned the operation, sparking a debate in Sweden on the need not to sacrifice the freedoms of expression and demonstration.
Read alsoNATO: the Swedish Supreme Court rejects the extradition of a journalist requested by Erdogan
Turkey has been blocking Sweden's - as well as Finland's - entry into NATO since May, accusing it of harboring on its territory members of the PKK and organizations allied to it, which it considers as terrorists.
Despite a memorandum of understanding signed at the end of June, Ankara judges its requests still unsatisfied, in particular for the extradition of Turkish citizens whom Turkey wants to prosecute for
"terrorism".
The Swedish government emphasizes that the Swedish judiciary has the last word in these cases and that the courts are independent.