Sweden has failed to lift Turkey’s veto on NATO membership. Foreign ministers met in Ankara on Thursday to discuss the refusal of Swedish justice to extradite a Turkish journalist accused of involvement in the failed coup of 2016. Turkey’s foreign minister cited the case at the joint press conference. .
“If we have to be allies in NATO, we have to concretize cooperation against terrorism. The discussions between us continue constructively. Unfortunately, the refusal to extradite journalist Bulent Kenes has poisoned this atmosphere,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s Foreign Minister.
For his part, the Swedish counterpart, who has expressed understanding for Turkish concerns, said: “I want to emphasize that we take the commitments seriously. Sweden has an independent judiciary and all cases are examined through this system.”
Although they have often participated in NATO military maneuvers, Finland and Sweden have maintained a neutral policy for decades. However, three months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both countries applied to join the Alliance.
Turkey has announced that it will veto membership unless the Nordic countries radically change their policy of hosting opponents of the Turkish regime, who also support Kurdish independence.