Turkey has seemingly dropped its opposition to Sweden joining NATO, following eighteen months in which Turkey used its veto over NATO accession to issue a laundry-list of demands primarily targeting the Nordic country’s perceived support for Kurdish militants.
Though Turkey is yet to formally approve Sweden’s accession, the country has made significant steps away from its stated policy of neutrality, with Turkey securing the repression and deportation of members of the Kurdish diaspora, resumed arms sales following their suspension in the wake of Turkey’s 2019 invasion and occupation of Kurdish-led North and East Syria (NES), and an apparent end to limited Swedish support for Kurdish political activism and diplomacy in Europe, and diplomatic and humanitarian engagement with NES.
Amineh Kakabaveh made headlines last year when her name was included on a list of individuals Turkey was demanding be extradited from Sweden – at that time an MP in the Swedish Parliament, Kakabaveh is an Iranian Kurdish refugee, writer and political activist with no ties to Turkey whatsoever. Medya News spoke with Kakabaveh to get her perspective on what the deal means for Sweden’s Kurdish diaspora, Kurds in the Middle East, and Sweden’s once-vaunted policy of military neutrality.
Why were you included on Turkey’s deportation list? Was it a threat?
To the Turkish government, if you fight for Kurdish rights, you’re a terrorist.. Even though I’m not a Turkish citizen, but a Kurd from Iran, and only have Swedish citizenship since I have no documentation from Iran – Iran wants to kill me, but Erdoğan is also a killer. Why? There are many thousands of former MPs, mayors of Kurdish municipalities, and members of the [pro-Kurdish] People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in jail, because they are Kurdish.
Is there a broader issue in Europe with the de facto criminalisation of Kurdish political activity?
These problems with Turkey, NATO and Erdoğan, all the security issues in the Middle East, will never be solved while Kurdish people are placed on the terror list. I am not a part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), I never was, but for this conflict to be solved, the PKK must be removed from terror lists. It’s true that PKK did some [crimes] at the beginning, in the 1980s and 1990s, but Turkey kills Kurdish people every day.
Turkey and [jailed Kurdish political leader] Öcalan have engaged in negotiations. Erdoğan has relied on Kurdish votes, and brought these so-called terrorist groups to the table when it was needed, to negotiate. At that time, they weren’t terrorist – but today they are. The Kurdish people shouldn’t allow the USA and NATO to use us to save the world. When the Kurdish people defeated ISIS, we were world heroes, we created security so that European people could go out to discos and have a normal life. But when we fight for our own rights, we’re ‘terrorists’.
Given the Russian invasion of Ukraine, did Sweden have any alternative to joining NATO?
Russia’s war against Ukraine has not been successful. There could have been a coup, just a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully Putin will not be President for long, and then there’s nothing to be afraid for. Sweden is protected by NATO, even if it’s not officially allied, absolutely protected. We have a modern military with jets, but the pro-NATO right wing and Social Democrats have painted a picture of Sweden as weak. There’s been a psychological war in the media, which has a big effect on people.
In fact, Sweden is more threatened by joining NATO. Why? Because our principles are totally eradicated. We don’t know what might be placed in our territory – nuclear weapons? This is more of a threat. The government should hold a referendum on accession: right now, Sweden is not under threat.
The US has agreed to provide F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. What security issues does this create?
The USA wants a strong Turkey in the Middle East, to keep NATO strong in the Middle East. But the first target is the Kurdish people. It’s not easy for Erdoğan to attack Greece. The USA support Kurds against ISIS with one hand, and with the other then they give Erdoğan F-16s to kill them. I don’t understand this. [The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces] are holding 12,000 ISIS members, and if they are attacked, they won’t be able to hold them any more. Even if only 500 escape, and come to Europe, they could do anything to take revenge on the West. Why should the Kurds keep protecting Europeans, when Europe isn’t protecting them?
