Sweden slams 'disinformation' regarding support for 'terror groups'

Sweden’s foreign minister today hit out at “disinformation” about Sweden and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), after Turkey accused the Nordic country of giving support to the militant group, complicating NATO’s enlargement, Reuters reported.

Turkiye is threatening to block Sweden and Finland from becoming members of the alliance after they applied this week to join.

“Due to the vastly spread #disinformation about [Sweden] and PKK, we would like to recall that the [Swedish] government of Olof Palme was first after [Turkiye] to list PKK as a terrorist organization, already in 1984,” Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Twitter.

Due to the vastly spread #disinformation about 🇸🇪 and PKK, we would like to recall that the 🇸🇪 Government of Olof Palme was first after 🇹🇷 to list PKK as a terrorist organization, already in 1984. EU followed suit 2002, when Anna Lindh was 🇸🇪 FM. This position remains unchanged.

— Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) May 20, 2022

“EU followed suit 2002… This position remains unchanged,” she said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said Sweden and Finland harbour and finance “terrorists”, repeating Ankara’s accusation that the two countries support groups that it deems terrorists, namely the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG.

READ: Turkey’s balancing act as NATO seeks to expand