Erdogan requires Sweden to dismiss the defense minister before negotiating its accession to NATO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersen should dismiss the Kingdom’s Defense Minister Peter Holtqvist.

The Expressen newspaper quoted sources as saying that Erdogan’s claim stems from the fact that about 10 years ago Hultqvist “glorified” the PKK and its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.

A source told Expressen that Turkey wants to remove Hultqvist from the post of defense minister, adding that the issue was raised during the Scandinavian country’s NATO entry negotiations between representatives of Sweden and Turkey.

Earlier, Erdogan said that Sweden and Finland will not join NATO until Ankara’s demands to stop supporting terrorism, led by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are met.

Turkey obstructed the start of negotiations in NATO on the accession of Finland and Sweden.

Ankara is calling on Sweden and Finland to publicly condemn the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which the Turkish authorities consider a terrorist, and for these countries to lift restrictions on arms exports that they have imposed on Turkey along with many other EU members.

• For more: East Post ,for social media: East Post page