Turkey indicated Sweden’s rejection of its extradition demand is negative to NATO’s enlargement, which Turkey continues to stall.
(Bloomberg) — Turkey indicated Sweden’s rejection of its extradition demand is negative to NATO’s enlargement, which Turkey continues to stall.
Sweden’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the extradition of a former newspaper editor to Turkey, prompting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to call the move “a very negative development.”
“We do not want to hear nice words from Sweden and Finland. We would like to see concrete steps,” he said in Ankara, speaking in a televised joint press conference with his Gambian counterpart on Tuesday.
Turkey has objected to Sweden and Finland joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since they put in bids in May, arguing that the Nordic countries need to do more to combat terrorism, including extraditing people who Turkey says have terrorist links.
Bulent Kenes, whose extradition was blocked, is accused by the Turkish government of being involved in a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has blamed US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his network for the attempt. It lists the group as a terror organization, and alleged Kenes is a member of that group.
Kenes says the allegations are fabricated.
Sweden’s top court blocked the extradition sought by Turkey on the grounds that Kenes risks persecution, and said some of the crimes Kenes is accused of aren’t punishable by law in Sweden.
While Sweden has previously extradited at least one person Turkey has asked for, Erdogan has mentioned Kenes by name, saying that his extradition is important in paving the way for Sweden’s NATO bid.
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