The people are referred to by Turkey as terrorist suspects. But Rødts Bjønar Moxnes is very critical of the agreement that allows Sweden and Finland to become members of NATO.
Updated less than 3 hours ago
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Turkey’s Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag said on Wednesday that the country wants 33 people extradited from Sweden and Finland as part of the agreement to become a NATO member, writes the news agency AFP.
Turkey claims that these people are terror suspects.
It was on Tuesday that it became clear that there was an agreement between the NATO country Turkey and the two applicant countries Sweden and Finland that the latter two finally be able to have their applications processed.
For that to happen, all of the 30 current NATO members had to accept the applications, but as is well known, Turkey, with the second largest army within NATO, has sat on its hind legs.
Turkey’s demands thus come after they, prior to the NATO summit in Madrid, signed an agreement with Sweden and Finland on, among other things, the extradition of what they believe are terror suspects.
–In return, Turkey promises not to oppose Swedish and Finnish NATO membership.
The lads’ applications for membership can now come up for consideration at the summit which starts on Wednesday morning, after Turkey has blocked processing of applications since 13 May.
On Wednesday, Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes said that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is now sacrificing the Kurds to include Sweden and Finland in the alliance.
– NATO and Stoltenberg sacrifice the Kurds. The agreement shows how the authoritarian, Turkish regime effectively uses its veto power in NATO to push for support for human rights violations, not least against Kurds, he says.
–The two countries’ applications came after the countries abandoned their traditional line of neutrality as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also stated that Russia views the plans negatively to the two countries to become NATO members.
– The summit in Madrid confirms and consolidates the bloc’s policy regarding aggressive containment of Russia, Ryabkov says according to Russian news agencies.
– We consider the enlargement of NATO to be a completely destabilizing factor in international affairs.
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