Sweden’s NATO Bid in Jeopardy Over Turkey’s Demands

June 9, 2022

Sweden’s NATO Bid in Jeopardy Over Turkey’s Demands

Sweden’s NATO bid got a lot more complicated this week after the Swedish government barely survived a no-confidence vote against its justice minister prompted by a rise in gang violence.

In order to survive the vote, Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats needed the support of Amineh Kakabaveh, an independent MP of Kurdish-Iranian heritage. Kakabaveh voted with the Social Democrats, and her single vote gave them the majority in parliament.

After the vote on Tuesday (June 7), Kakabaveh said the Swedish government gave her assurances that they wouldn’t cave to Turkey’s demands regarding Kurdish militant groups that Ankara says are necessary for the Nordic nation to be able to join NATO.

Turkey wants both Sweden and Finland to crack down on the PKK, a Kurdish militant group Ankara, the US, and the EU consider a terrorist organization.

Ankara also wants the Nordic nations to lift export restrictions they placed on Turkey in response to its offensive in northeast Syria in 2019.