A Swedish MP of Kurdish origin who could decide the fate of the country’s government in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday has warned him not to compromise with Turkey on his candidacy to join NATO.
Amineh Kakabaveh, a former peshmerga fighter who will have a decisive vote in Sweden’s parliament, told the Financial Times that the country would abandon its “dignity and values” if it yields to demands from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extradite Kurds wanted by Ankara.
Turkey, as a member of NATO, has the power to veto the Scandinavian country’s membership in the military alliance and has maintained plans for membership.
The independent MP’s comments come a day before a crucial vote in the Swedish parliament on the future of the justice minister, which could lead to the resignation of the entire government if he loses, which is almost guaranteed if Kakabaveh votes against it.
“All of this is bad for Sweden’s reputation. They allowed a tyrant, a despot, an Islamist regime to decide what kind of politicians are in government. I’ve been in Sweden for 29 years and I’ve never been so scared,” he said. said Kakabaveh in the interview.
Sweden’s NATO bid, its attempts to overcome Turkey’s opposition and recent chronic political instability in Stockholm have clashed ahead of Tuesday’s dramatic vote.
Sweden’s populist Democrats, backed by all right-wing opposition, have filed a censure vote on center-left Justice Minister Morgan Johansson after years of gang shootings in city centers, as well as grenade and bomb attacks. .
But Social Democrat Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has said her entire government will resign if the no-confidence vote is approved, plunging Sweden into a government crisis 100 days before the national elections and when Stockholm begins negotiations with Ankara to unlock your application in NATO.
Kakabaveh, who gave his support in November to make sure Andersson became prime minister through a very unusual deal that was based on Kurdish support and criticism of Erdogan.
He will hold another meeting with the Social Democrats on Monday afternoon, but said he fears the center-left party will be willing to drop the justice minister and stay in power to win Turkey’s favor.
Andersson said Sunday night that he would consider a proposal by a center-right party leader to vote against Johansson, but would not support further censorship votes before the September election.
“My feeling is that they will sacrifice their own minister for Erdogan,” Kakabaveh said.
Last week, he told state broadcaster SVT: “Sweden should withdraw its application to NATO if it depends on us being quiet cowards and giving in to Erdogan’s demands. It’s embarrassing and disgusting.”
Sweden’s parliament is balanced, 174 votes to 174 left and right, giving Kakabaveh a disproportionate importance.
Aron Lund, a Middle East expert and member of the American think tank The Century Foundation, said that if Andersson gave in to Kakabaveh’s “Kurdish nationalist causes”, he would probably trigger an immediate reaction from Turkey.
He added: “Unless this is resolved, it seems that NATO talks with Turkey could be quite complicated.”
Kakabaveh’s influence will end in September, as she is almost certain she will not be re-elected, but she now has a platform to talk about the Kurdish cause, something that has long irritated Turkish officials.
In exchange for allowing Sweden to join NATO, Ankara has demanded that the country take further action against terrorists, extradite Kurds from Sweden and lift the arms embargo. Swedish authorities say there has never been an arms embargo and that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has long been banned.
“It’s not me, it’s Erdogan. The government wants to commit. It’s terrible. I’m terrified. I’m afraid for the future,” Kakabaveh said.