Kurdish-born Swedish lawmaker Amineh Kakabaveh has warned the Nordic country against compromising with Turkey over its bid to join NATO. An independent member of the Riksdag, Sweden’s national legislature, Kakabaveh, could decide the fate of the country’s government in a parliamentary no confidence vote on Tuesday, the Financial Times reported. Sweden would abandon its “dignity and values” if it gave in to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s demands on the extradition of Kurds wanted by Ankara, Kakabaveh told the Financial Times. A NATO member since 1952, Turkey has challenged the alliance bids from Sweden and Finland on the grounds that they harbour people linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and others it deems terrorists, and because they halted arms exports to Turkey in 2019. The United States and EU all designate the PKK as a terrorist organisation. Turkey has also asked both countries to extradite suspected PKK members. “All of this is bad for Sweden’s reputation. They allowed a tyrant, a despot, an Islamist regime to decide what kind of politicians are in government. I’ve been in Sweden for 29 years and I’ve never been so scared,” the Swedish MP said. The rules for entry into the strategic alliance require unanimity of the current NATO members, allowing for Turkey to effectively veto the entry of Finland and Sweden. On Tuesday, Swedish parliament will host a critical vote on the future of the justice minister, which could lead to the resignation of the entire government if defeated. A defeat is effectively guaranteed if Kakabaveh votes against it. Sweden’s populist Democrats, backed by the entire right-wing opposition, have cast a vote of no confidence in centre-left Justice Minister Morgan Johansson over his handling of gang crime. Social Democrat Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has said her entire government would resign if the vote of no confidence passes, in move that could spark a crisis in Stockholm just months ahead of national elections.
Ahval