The leader of the far-right Swedish Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, has described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an “Islamist dictator”. Akesson said in a newspaper interview published Wednesday about Sweden’s NATO membership dispute that there are limits to Sweden’s accommodation towards Turkey – because “in the end it is an anti-democratic system and a dictator that we are dealing with”.
Akesson’s comments could add to strained relations between Sweden and Turkey. The Swedish Democrats are not part of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right government, which has been in power since mid-October. However, because the governing coalition does not have a majority in parliament, it depends on the support of right-wing extremists.
“It’s the same with Putin”
Akesson also said in the interview with the newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” that his Swedish Democrats are an “anti-Islamic party”. He represents “strict views on an Islamist dictator like Erdogan”. The Turkish head of state was elected by the people, but so was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Turkey and Hungary are the only two NATO countries that have not yet paved the way for Sweden to join NATO. As a condition for approving Sweden’s application for membership, Turkey is asking Sweden, among other things, to take a harder line against Kurdish activists who are considered “terrorists” by the Turkish government.
Source: Krone
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