The Syrian Kurdish YPG forces have been allies of the West in the fight against the terrorist organization ISIS. Sweden has supported the YPG and the political party connected to it.
Sweden’s new government is distancing itself from the Syrian Kurdish armed organization YPG and its political wing the PYD, says the Swedish public radio company Sveriges Radio (you switch to another service).
The Kurdish YPG forces have been a military alliance of NATO and the United States in the fight against the terrorist organization ISIS in Syria.
Sweden has previously supported the YPG and the PYD party linked to it. Turkey considers both Kurdish organizations to be terrorist organizations.
According to Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s new government is more negative than the previous government about supporting the YPG and PYD. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in an interview with SR that the government considers organizations that can harm the relationship between Sweden and Turkey to be problematic.
Turkey demands that Sweden and Finland end support for organizations and individuals it classifies as terrorists, in order for it to accept the countries’ NATO membership. In addition, Turkey demands that Finland and Sweden hand over persons they consider terrorists to Turkey.
Prime Minister of Sweden by Ulf Kristersson is scheduled to meet the Turkish president in Ankara next Tuesday Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.