Türkiye to host security meeting with Sweden

ANKARA

A meeting of the Türkiye-Sweden Security Mechanism meeting is set to take place in the Turkish capital Tuesday with the participation of high-level officials from both countries, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya plus Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer are expected to take part.

This meeting is key for advancing collaboration between the two nations' counter-terrorism efforts.

Fidan is expected to urge Sweden to take further steps against the terrorist group PKK/YPG and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) – the group behind a 2016 defeated coup – including cutting off their financial resources and stopping their spreading propaganda.

He will also emphasize Ankara’s concerns on the rise of far-right movements, Islamophobia, and racism in Europe, and will call for effective measures to combat these trends.

Additionally, discussions will address lifting defense industry trade restrictions, with the aim of fostering result-oriented and long-term cooperation.

Originally scheduled for last September, the meeting was postponed due to technical issues with the Swedish delegation's flight to Ankara.

2022 trilateral memorandum

In June 2022, during NATO’s Madrid summit, Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland signed a trilateral memorandum outlining the Scandinavian countries’ commitments to strengthen counter-terrorism legislation, curb the activities of the terrorist PKK, and lift defense export restrictions on Türkiye.

Sweden has since implemented several measures, including a new counter-terrorism law that July and constitutional changes restricting engagement with terrorist groups.

Additional legal measures were introduced in June 2023 criminalizing participation in terrorist groups.

Stockholm has further appointed a liaison prosecutor to coordinate cases related to Türkiye and has closed accounts tied to PKK financing networks, such as the so-called "Kurdish Red Crescent."

Legal proceedings against some terrorist PKK members have been initiated, with references to the terror group’s activities in the European country included in a 2024 security report.

Security Mechanism Framework

A new Türkiye-Sweden Security Mechanism was agreed on at a 2023 NATO summit attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and then-NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

This mechanism aims to ensure the full implementation of commitments outlined in the 2022 trilateral memorandum, focusing on Sweden’s efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms.

*Writing by Merve Berker