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Sweden, Finland promise to interdict financing of Kurdistan Workers’ Party — memorandum

Finland and Sweden will ensure that their respective national regulatory frameworks for arms exports enable new commitments to Allies and reflects their status as NATO members

ANKARA, June 28. /TASS/. Sweden and Finland have promised Turkey to investigate and take measure to stop any financing and recruitment activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, according to a memorandum signed by the three countries’ top diplomats in Madrid on Tuesday.

"Finland and Sweden will investigate and interdict any financing and recruitment activities of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party - TASS) and all other terrorist organisations and their extensions, as well affiliates or inspired groups or networks," the document reads. "Finland and Sweden will address Turkiye's pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly, taking into account information, evidence and intelligence provided by Turkiye, and establish necessary bilateral legal frameworks to facilitate accordance with the European Convention on Extradition."

"Finland and Sweden will ensure that their respective national regulatory frameworks for arms exports enable new commitments to Allies and reflects their status as NATO members," it says.

Turkish and Finnish Presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sauli Niinisto, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gathered in Madrid on Tuesday to discuss issues of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership in light of Turkey’s refusal to support their admission unless they issue written guarantees to Ankara that they will refuse from supporting terrorist organizations, lift the weapons embargo and restrictions imposed on Turkey in the defense sector.

After the talks, the three countries’ foreign ministers signed a memorandum in the presence of the leaders. A spokesman for Erdogan’s office told TASS that Turkey has achieved the moves it wanted from Sweden and Finland to agree to their accession to NATO.

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