People of Kurdish descent in Sweden, along with supporters, gathered in Stockholm’s central square on 9 July to protest the agreement permitting Sweden and Finland to join NATO, a pact reached with Ankara. The protest carried the slogan “Turkey is not blackmailed, do not use the Kurds in your dirty bargains,” and participants also shouted chants such as “Erdogan is a murderer” and “Sweden should not be the enemy of the Kurds.”
Ahmed Karamus, Co-Chair of the Kurdistan National Congress, addressed the crowd, calling the agreement a betrayal to both Kurds and Swedes. He argued that the terms clash with Swedish law and fundamental human values, urging observers to question why Kurds would be used as bargaining leverage with a Turkish administration he described as bloodthirsty and no longer aligned with human rights. He stressed that labeling Kurds as terrorists at Turkey’s behest is unacceptable, as reported by Media News.
Left Party Deputy Daniel Riazat voiced his enduring solidarity with the Kurdish struggle, criticizing the Social Democratic Party for its policies with Turkey. He claimed that each agreement with Ankara risks Kurdish lives and accused the party of lifting the arms embargo on Turkey, a move he described as deeply misguided.
The crowd also recalled a remark attributed to Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, who said the Kurds have little friends besides the mountains, while noting that Sweden also considers itself an ally of the Kurdish people.
Thousands participated in the demonstration, with signatures collected to remove the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from the list of designated terrorist organizations.
Ankara’s reaction
On 23 July, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara over what it called anti-Turkish propaganda in Stockholm, as cited by SVT with reference to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Turkish ministry confirmed a meeting had taken place between a representative of the Swedish Embassy in Ankara and Turkish officials, while the Swedish side declined to disclose the meeting’s subject or specifics. Ankara maintained that Sweden would implement the tripartite agreement with Finland and Turkey in line with its laws, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The Swedish side reiterated its commitment to the treaty framework and to carrying out its provisions under Swedish law, without offering further details about the meeting.
Erdogan’s warnings
During a NATO summit, held on 29 June, alliance leaders formally invited Sweden and Finland to join. By 5 July, the Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers had signed the accession protocols. Fifteen of NATO’s thirty member states approved the protocols for Finland and Sweden’s accession.
Sweden had agreed, in connection with the Turkish agreement, to strengthen its laws on terrorist offenses and to implement measures aimed at the PKK, which is banned in Turkey. The pact also included the extradition of several PKK members. Stockholm and Helsinki agreed to lift the arms embargo on Ankara and to support Turkey’s role in the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation program for security and defense. Erdogan later asserted that if Sweden and Finland failed to meet the agreed conditions, Ankara would freeze the accession process. He emphasized that Turkey’s stance remained clear and that all further steps depended on the actions of Sweden and Finland.
These statements reflected Turkey’s insistence on concrete steps as a condition for moving forward with NATO membership, while observers noted the broader implications for regional security dynamics and human rights considerations in the Kurdish context.