ANKARA
Finland and Sweden will have to make good on their promises to extradite terrorists if they need to join NATO, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
“If they need to sign up for NATO now, they have to keep their word. Our statements are very clear: ‘Keep your promises and we will complete your NATO accession process,'” Bozdag told reporters Monday after a cabinet meeting in the capital. Ankara.
His comments preceded those of a Finnish delegation in Ankara for technical talks on the extradition of terrorists under a NATO memorandum.
Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding at the NATO summit in Madrid in June, stipulating that Finland and Sweden will not provide aid to the YPG/PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist organization or the Fetullah terrorist organization. (FETO), the organization of the coup defeated in Turkey in 2016.
On Tuesday, the Finnish Ministry of Justice will meet with a delegation led by Kasim Cicek, Director General for Foreign Affairs and European Union Affairs at Turkey’s Ministry of Justice.
During the meeting, the Turks will reiterate their request to the Finnish delegation to extradite members of terrorist groups. Evidence of the guilt of the accused terrorists will also be presented in documents.
“The procedure (of NATO membership) has been introduced and is still finished. The completion will be done with the approval of the (Turkish) parliament. Therefore, the initiation of the procedure means that the procedure is complete unless approved by parliament. Parliament will make the final decision,” Bozdag said.
The Nordics agreed to respond to Ankara’s ongoing deportation or extradition requests for terror suspects.
Türkiye’s parliament will have to ratify the country’s approval for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.