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With NATO Membership in Mind, Sweden Hands over Turkish Man Convicted of Drug Offenses at Home

A NATO flag is seen at the Alliance headquarters ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. (Reuters)
A NATO flag is seen at the Alliance headquarters ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. (Reuters)
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With NATO Membership in Mind, Sweden Hands over Turkish Man Convicted of Drug Offenses at Home

A NATO flag is seen at the Alliance headquarters ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. (Reuters)
A NATO flag is seen at the Alliance headquarters ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. (Reuters)

The Swedish government decided Monday to extradite a Turkish citizen resident in Sweden who had been convicted in 2013 of drug crime in Türkiye.

The move came as NATO-member Türkiye continued to hold up Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.

The man, who had served his prison sentence and was living in Sweden legally, claimed the real reason for his extradition was that he was active in a pro-Kurdish political party and supported a group Ankara considers to be terrorists.

Sweden's Supreme Court said there were “no obstacles” to his extradition, and that the man was under investigation in Türkiye for posting online manipulated photos of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which is punishable under Turkish laws.

Ankara has accused Stockholm of not doing enough to crack down on members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and others whom it considers extremists.

The military alliance wants to admit Sweden before a summit next month in Vilnius, Lithuania. All existing NATO members must ratify a candidate country’s accession protocol before it can join the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The Swedish Justice Ministry which didn't identify the man, confirmed to The Associated Press that the government in Stockholm had endorsed last month's ruling by Sweden’s highest court to extradite him. It was not clear if the man is among a group of people Türkiye wants extradited.

Last month, Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism laws. Swedish lawmakers included a prison term of up to eight years for individuals convicted of participating in an extremist organization in a way that is intended to promote, strengthen or support the group. The revisions took effect June 1.

The man told the Swedish court that in 2019 and 2020, “he expressed approval” on Facebook of posts critical of the Ankara regime. During the same time period, he uploaded and posted manipulated images of Erdogan.

The man had initially been sentenced to four years and seven months in Türkiye for transporting about 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds) of cannabis in September 2013 in the Turkish city of Adana. After his release from a Turkish prison, he traveled legally to Sweden, where he got a work permit in 2018.

According to what he told the Supreme Court, “the real reason” behind the extradition is because he “has actively worked for the Kurds’ cause.” He has explained that he is a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, which Turkish prosecutors seek to shut down for alleged links to the PKK.

The HDP rejects accusations that it acts on behalf of the PKK, insisting that it is struggling for increased rights for Kurds and other minorities through legal means.

The PKK, considered a terror group by Türkiye and its Western allies, has waged an insurgency since 1984. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

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Ukraine Realizes a Dream as It Launches EU Membership Talks, but Joining Is Likely to Take Years

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Olga Stefanishyna (6-L, front row) poses with European affairs ministers and representatives at the first meeting of the Conference on Accession of Ukraine to the European Union in Luxembourg, 25 June 2024. (EPA)
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Olga Stefanishyna (6-L, front row) poses with European affairs ministers and representatives at the first meeting of the Conference on Accession of Ukraine to the European Union in Luxembourg, 25 June 2024. (EPA)
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Ukraine Realizes a Dream as It Launches EU Membership Talks, but Joining Is Likely to Take Years

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Olga Stefanishyna (6-L, front row) poses with European affairs ministers and representatives at the first meeting of the Conference on Accession of Ukraine to the European Union in Luxembourg, 25 June 2024. (EPA)
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Olga Stefanishyna (6-L, front row) poses with European affairs ministers and representatives at the first meeting of the Conference on Accession of Ukraine to the European Union in Luxembourg, 25 June 2024. (EPA)

The European Union launched membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, a decade after Russian troops seized the Crimean Peninsula to deter the country from moving closer to the West, part of a chain of events that set the two neighbors on the path to war.

Ukraine’s accession negotiations were set in motion at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. Moldova is also due to launch its membership talks later Tuesday. While the events are a major milestone on their European paths, the talks could take years to conclude.

In opening remarks presented via video-link, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described it as “a historic day” that marks “a new chapter” in his country’s ties with the bloc, particularly as the war with Russia rages on.

“We fully understand that there is still much work ahead of us on the path to accession. We are ready for it. We have demonstrated that we can move swiftly and achieve the impossible,” Shmyhal said.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, described it as “a historic moment for us all, and marks a milestone in our relationship.”

Lahbib said the EU condemns “Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and salutes the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” and added that the bloc will continue to support Ukraine in the war “for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed.”

Ukraine's delegation was led in Luxembourg by deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Olga Stefanishyna. “This is a truly historical moment for my country. All the nation stands as one behind this decision,” she told reporters as she arrived for the ceremony.

Stefanishyna said the hope embodied in the opening of the talks will give Ukraine's citizens “the moral power to continue withstanding” the Russian invasion.

The intergovernmental conference officially started the process of aligning the country’s laws and standards with those of the 27-nation bloc, which is notably concerned about corruption in Ukraine. However, the actual negotiations are unlikely to begin for a few months.

Both Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU in the days and weeks after Russia invaded in February 2022. By June 2022, EU leaders had quickly made it all official. But things have moved more slowly since then for Kyiv and membership, if it comes, might be years away.

Türkiye's accession talks have lasted almost two decades without result.

Still, starting the talks process is sending another strong signal of solidarity with Ukraine beyond the financial support the EU has provided, which officials estimate at around 100 billion euros ($107 billion). It’s also a show of support for Moldova, which has faced its own challenges with Russia.

Candidate countries must bring their laws and standards into line with those of the EU in 35 policy areas, known as chapters, ranging from the free movement of goods through fisheries, taxation, energy and the environment to judicial rights and security.

Unanimous agreement must be given by all 27 member countries to open or close chapters, providing ample opportunity for EU nations to demand more work or to delay proceedings.

Hungary, which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency from Belgium in July, has routinely put the brakes on EU and NATO support for Ukraine.

“We are still at the beginning of the screening process. It’s very difficult to say at what stage Ukraine is in. From what I see here, as we speak, they are very far from meeting the accession criteria,” Hungarian Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka said as he arrived at the venue.

Bordering EU members Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, Ukraine would overtake France to become the largest member of the bloc if it joined, shifting its center of gravity further eastward. As a top grain producer its entry would have a huge impact on EU agriculture policy.

Together with Moldova, Ukraine stands in a long line of EU hopefuls — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye — with years-long membership aspirations and which have felt left behind by Kyiv’s rapid progress.

Ukraine wants to join by 2030, but it must carry out dozens of institutional and legal reforms first. That daunting list is led by steps to combat corruption and includes broad reforms to public administration and judiciary.