ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2022) Sweden will comply with the terms of the memorandum on NATO membership signed with Turkey and Finland, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday.
Finland and Sweden handed over applications to join the alliance in mid-May to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the light of Russian military operation in Ukraine. Their membership bids were blocked by Turkey, but in late June, it signed a memorandum with Sweden and Finland in the field of security, which addresses all the concerns of Ankara. Turkey, in turn, has withdrawn its objections to the accession of the two European countries to NATO.
"Sweden will comply with the terms of the memorandum of understanding agreed with Ankara in order to overcome Turkey's objections to Sweden's membership in NATO," Andersson was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
The prime minister noted the importance of last week's extradition of a Turkish citizen wanted for fraud, adding that the decision was made in accordance with Swedish and international law, and that Stockholm would continue to work in this direction.
Last week, media reports suggested that the Swedish government had decided to extradite the Turkish national, marking the first time since Ankara demanded a number of people be extradited in return for allowing Stockholm to formally apply to join NATO.
