Sweden claims Turkey has right to defend itself
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, said on Friday that Turkey has the right to defend its territory against terrorism and to attack northern Syria.
In an answer to a question by Green Party Co-Chair, Marta Stenevi, in the Swedish parliament, why Turkey is launching an air operation in northern Syria, Kristersson said that Turkey is against terrorism and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the right to defend his country.
Since November 20, intense and wide spread aerial operation has been ongoing by Turkish forces against north and northeast Syria which has claimed tens of lives and destroyed facilities and infrastructure along the whole border strip from Aleppo northern countryside in the northwest up to Derik (al-Malikiyah) in the northeast.
The Turkish airstrikes hit oil fields, the only gas installation, grain silos and power station in the countryside of the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria.
Kristersson called on all parties to remain calm and that civilians should not be exposed to military danger.
“It is necessary to admit that it is a country [Turkey] that has been exposed to terrorist attacks……Turkey has the right to protect itself against all kinds of terrorist attacks,” according to Kristersson.
“There are reasons for the world to accept that the terrorist attacks that hit Turkey are as bad as the terrorist attacks that hit other countries,” the minister added.
“We have determined that Sweden should not be a safe haven for them [terrorists],” he claimed.
On November 9, Kristersson said that his country will “fully implement the trilateral memorandum” with Fenland and Turkey, seeking the latter’s ratification for a bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a visit to Turkey.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on November 5 said that his country would “keep a distance” from Kurdish units in northeast Syria, claiming that they are related to the Kurdish Worker Party (PKK).
In response, Department of Foreign Affairs in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) expressed disappointment over the new Swedish stance.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated ISIS militarily.
In June, NATO announced about a trilateral memorandum between Turkey, Sweden and Finland paving the way for Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, the issue that Turkey had rejected under the pretext that they support the PKK, the Democratic Union Part (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The PYD is a Kurdish political party established on Sept. 20, 2003 in northern Syria. It operates in Kurdish-majority areas in Syria, and Turkey claims it to be Syria’s branch of the PKK.
The YPG is a mainly-Kurdish group affiliated with the SDF that was formed in 2011. It mainly operates in areas run by the AANES.
On September 30, Sweden announced lifting arm embargo and military equipment on Turkey.
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO on May 18 prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, but were met by huge rejection from Turkey.