According to the Swedish secret service, the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK supports terrorist activities. “It can be about the request for and recruitment for acts of terrorism and terrorist financing,” said Susanne Trehörning, the deputy chief of counter-terrorism at the Säpo secret service. She thus confirmed Turkey’s allegations against NATO candidate Sweden.
“I won’t give exact amounts, but they are significant amounts,” said Trehörning. In early February, a man was arrested in Sweden for allegedly attempting to finance terrorism by the PKK. However, the top official emphasized that the PKK does not pose a direct risk of an attack.
Turkey does not agree to Sweden and Finland joining NATO
In May 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO. All member countries must agree to this proposal. However, Turkey has so far refused to clear the way for the Nordic countries to join NATO by ratifying the so-called accession protocols. Ankara accuses Sweden of not taking decisive action against people and groups that Turkey classifies as terrorist. This includes the PKK, which is also on the terror list in the EU.