As Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renews his threats to veto Sweden and Finland’s accession applications to join NATO over claims and accusations that the two countries ‘harbour terrorists’, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson pledged on Monday not to let Sweden become ‘a safe haven for terrorists’ after meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, ahead of a NATO summit in Spain, Reuters reported.
“Our stance regarding PKK is crystal clear. It is listed as a terror organisation in the European Union, and is regarded as such by Sweden,” Andersson said, adding:
“Sweden is not and will not be a safe haven for terrorists. The relevant authorities work intensively in order to expel persons who could be a security threat – and there are a substantial number of cases which are currently processed.”
Andersson’s remarks came a day before she and the Finnish president are set to meet with Erdoğan in a bid to convince him to drop the objections to their membership in NATO.
Turkey blocked bids by Sweden and Finland to join NATO in May.
