Sweden Prepares List Of 10 PKK Members For Extradition To Turkey - Reports

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2022) Sweden has prepared a list of ten Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members for extradition to Turkey after signing a memorandum in Madrid, Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Sunday.

Earlier in the week, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that Ankara had sent a written demand to Sweden and Finland for the extradition of members of the PKK and the organization of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen (FETO) deemed terrorist by Turkey. The Swedish Justice Ministry told RIA Novosti about the absence of official documents regarding Turkey's demand for the extradition of members of organizations recognized as terrorist in this republic.

Between 2019 and 2022, the Swedish government approved three of Turkey's 16 extradition applications. However, after the memorandum was signed, indications emerged that the process was speeding up. The first signs of these steps appeared in the Swedish media, TRT Haber said.

According to reports, the Swedish security service had prepared a list of 10 PKK members to be extradited.

In mid-May, three months since the onset of the Ukraine crisis, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality. Turkey, which had initially blocked their applications citing Helsinki and Stockholm's support of the PKK, but dropped its objections late June.

On June 28, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum committing them to full support in combating threats to each other's security. Turkey said that all its existing concerns were addressed and withdrew its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The meeting took place in Madrid prior to the NATO summit.