In Early June, Swedish Foreign Minister Seeks to Alleviate Turkey’s Concerns

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilstrom said that the PKK is conducting intensive activities in his country in order to finance terrorism against Turkey, and this is the reason for Ankara’s refusal to join Sweden in NATO.

In a statement to the Swedish newspaper Dahens Nyheter, Bilstrom said his country “has an obligation to Turkey to fight the terrorist PKK/YPG”, adding: “The PKK terrorist organization carries out extensive activities that were previously unknown in Sweden. and that is why Türkiye does not agree to our NATO membership.”

He pointed out: “The activity of the PKK terrorist organization in our lands is very extensive, and it carries out extensive measures and activities to finance terrorist activities against Turkey. A terrorist organization is also using our lands as a base to raise money for drugs. trade, and we must take this activity seriously.”

Billstrom said that “Turkey’s fears will be allayed by a new law on sanctions against terrorism, which will come into force in Sweden in early June.”

It is noteworthy that in a bill aimed at criminalizing membership in terrorist organizations in Sweden, participants in terrorist activities and accomplices of terrorist organizations are sentenced to imprisonment for up to 4 years.

In case of aggravating circumstances, the punishment for these crimes will be imprisonment for a term of not less than two years and not more than 8 years.

The bill also gives the authorities much broader powers to detain and prosecute those who finance or support terrorist organizations.

The Criminal Code will enter into force on June 1 after being approved by the Swedish Parliament in May.

Source: TRT

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