Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde responded to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ‘terrorist’ allegations 14 days after he voiced such claims.
Ankara has been opposing accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO over claims that the two countries have been providing shelter for ‘terrorists’, mainly for the supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and that some MP’s in the Swedish parliament are linked to the PKK.
Asked about what he thought about Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Erdoğan said on 13 May that Turkey did not feel positive about it, as the two countries had long been safe havens for terrorist groups like the PKK.
Turkey halted an initial vote accession negotiations on the 18th of May.
Ann Linde said on Twitter on Friday.
“Incorrect reports that Swedish politicians in democratic groups represent the terrorist organisation PKK. These are serious accusations that lack any basis. Violence, terrorism and extremism have no place in our democratic society.”
Her remarks followed a meeting between diplomatic representatives of Turkey, Sweden and Finland in Turkish capital Ankara, which didn’t bring any significat progress.
Linde had used a much more defensive tone earlier in the face of Erdoğan’s accusations when she said on the 20th of May that Sweden was indeed the first European country to list the PKK as a ‘terrorist group’:
“Due to the vastly spread disinformation about Sweden and PKK, we would like to recall that the Swedish Government of Olof Palme was first after Turkey to list PKK as a terrorist organization, already in 1984. EU followed suit 2002, when Anna Lindh was Swedish FM. This position remains unchanged.”
