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NATO accession: Sweden makes concessions to Turkey

2023-04-07T15:16:01.626Z


Sweden takes a step towards Turkey and agrees to extradite a Turkish citizen. Stockholm continues to refuse to extradite other people.


Sweden takes a step towards Turkey and agrees to extradite a Turkish citizen.

Stockholm continues to refuse to extradite other people.

Stockholm – Sweden has agreed to the extradition of a Turkish citizen in view of the planned NATO accession.

Turkey has so far vehemently rejected accession if Sweden decides not to extradite wanted persons.

Turkey accuses Swedish citizens of "terrorist" activities.

However, Sweden is opposed to extradition of its citizens.

Turkish judiciary: Sweden extradites Turkish citizen

The person to be extradited is 29-year-old Ömer Altun, the Swedish Ministry of Justice said on Thursday.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Turkey for fraud.

Stockholm has continued to refuse to extradite a Swedish citizen.

According to the Turkish judiciary, this is membership in a "terrorist organization".

Officially, the Swedish Ministry of Justice only agreed after the Supreme Court agreed.

The extradition of Altun is now "no longer opposed", according to the written declaration of March 30th.

The condition for Altun's extradition is a new court case in Turkey.

The rejected extradition request refers to the Swede Mehmet Zakir Karayel, whom the Turkish government accuses of membership in an "armed terrorist organization".

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"A Swedish citizen may not be extradited," the Swedish Ministry of Justice explains.

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Ankara demands the extradition of Swedish citizens and refuses Sweden to join NATO if this does not happen.

© picture alliance/dpa/AP |

Burhan Ozbilici

NATO accession: Türkiye calls for stronger action against alleged terrorists

Turkey had previously spoken out against Sweden joining NATO.

Both give different reasons for this.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the Swedish government of not taking tough enough action against Kurdish activists in the country.

It is primarily about members of the Kurdish Workers' Party PKK.

This refers to Ankara as "terrorists".

The extradition of persons wanted by the Turkish judiciary is therefore one of the contentious issues of accession.

Since Sweden's application, Stockholm has agreed to two extraditions - but several extradition requests from the Turkish judiciary have been rejected.

Among them was the former editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

He is accused by the Turkish government of being involved in the 2016 coup attempt.

Nato application: Türkiye and Hungary against Sweden's accession

In May 2022, Sweden and Finland submitted their application for NATO membership.

The reason for the NATO membership application was the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Sweden has thus given up its decades-long policy of military non-alignment.

Finland has been an official member of the Western Defense Alliance since this week after Turkey agreed at the end of March.

Sweden's desire to join continues to be blocked by Turkey and also by Hungary.

In order to become part of NATO, all member states must give the green light.

(HK/AFP)

List of rubrics: © picture alliance/dpa/AP |

Burhan Ozbilici

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-04-07

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