Against Sweden is turned Turkey threatening it that if it wants to join NATO it must issue “terrorists». The Turkish Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdag, also described as “disappointing” the first extradition in Turkey of a Turk who has been convicted of common criminal law offences.

“If they think they can make Turkey believe they have kept their promises by extraditing common criminal law criminals, they are deludedMinister Bekir Bozdag said in an interview published on Thursday (18/8) by the “Milliyet” newspaper.

Since mid-May, Turkey, a member country NATOis blocking the process of enlarging the Atlantic alliance to include Sweden and Finland by accusing the two countries of harboring Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), organizations that Ankara calls terrorist.

At the end of June, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Sweden and Finland had nevertheless signed a memorandum of agreement opening the access of the two Nordic countries to the Atlantic alliance.

The next day, Turkey had made requests to the two countries for the extradition of 33 persons, most of whom are considered “terrorists» from Ankara.

“We have not received any response regarding the extradition of FETO members [ακρωνύμιο που χρησιμοποιεί η Άγκυρα για την οργάνωση του ιεροκήρυκα Φετουλάχ Γκιουλέν, ο οποίος κατηγορείται από τις τουρκικές αρχές ότι υποκίνησε την απόπειρα πραξικοπήματος του Ιουλίου 2016]of the PKK and other terrorist organizations” said the Turkish Minister of Justice as reported by the Athens News Agency.

“Letters reiterating our demands have been sent to our foreign ministry and from there to the countries concerned“, he added.

The name of Okan Kale – he is the first Turkish national whose extradition request was accepted by Sweden – was included in the list of 33 names published at the end of June by the Turkish media. Kale had been convicted of fraud.

A meeting between Turkey, Finland and Sweden regarding the two countries’ NATO accession process is scheduled to take place on August 26. The meeting will take place in Sweden, according to Swedish media.

Around 20 NATO member states – out of 30 in total – have already ratified the request for membership of the two Nordic countries.