Sweden pledges to abide by agreement with Türkiye

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Sunday vowed to abide by the recent agreement with Türkiye, including pledges on extradition of terrorists.

Speaking at the annual political festival Almedalen Week in Gotland, Andersson said she could not share specific details of the memorandum signed with Türkiye and Finland ahead of the June 28-30 NATO summit in Madrid.

Andersson said those who are not involved in terrorist activities need not worry. "Swedish citizens cannot be extradited according to national and international law. If you have not participated in terrorist activities, you do not need to worry," she added.

Sweden and Finland shunned neutrality and applied to join NATO in May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

Just before the summit, Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden signed the agreement after four-way talks in the Spanish capital.

The agreement allows the two Nordic countries to become NATO members, but conditions them to take steps on Türkiye's terrorism concerns, and lift an arms embargo on Ankara.

Following the trilateral deal, NATO formally invited the two Nordic countries to join the 30-member military alliance.