STOCKHOLM

In order to gain NATO membership, Sweden should meet Türkiye’s “legitimate” demand that Stockholm take action against the YPG/PKK terror group, a Swedish politician of Turkish descent said.

During his visit to a Turkish cultural association in the capital Stockholm, Mikail Yuksel, head of the Nyans political party, said that if his party is represented in the parliament after Sept. 11 elections, they will work to ensure the realization of the promises made to Türkiye.

Yuksel said that his party experiences attacks by racists as well as anti-Türkiye groups during its election campaign.

In May, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, Türkiye, a NATO member for more than 70 years, opposed the two countries' membership aspirations due to their tolerance and even backing for terrorist groups.

On June 28, the trio signed a trilateral memorandum at the NATO summit in Madrid to address Türkiye’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk