Turkish authorities on Thursday accused the governments of Finland and Sweden of being reluctant to extradite alleged terrorists wanted by Ankara and of not having launched such processes for the time being despite the fact that it is an «indispensable» condition for achieving NATO enlargement.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the two countries «have not extradited a single person» since the agreement was reached last June during the NATO summit in Madrid.
«We have sent our demands to these countries. The issue of extradition is being addressed, but for now there have been no positive changes regarding this matter,» he has asserted in statements to A Haber TV channel.
However, he stressed that the issue will be addressed especially during the visit of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Turkey on November 8 and reaffirmed Ankara’s position on the accession of these countries to the Alliance.
Bozdag also recalled that the memorandum reached in June «is not final» and that it is possible that the Turkish Parliament will not approve this measure if both countries do not fulfill their obligations and commitments.
