Relationship dossier
Turkey
Sweden
Relationship assessment
NATO accession brought closer security cooperation, alongside persistent disputes over counterterrorism and extradition.
Turkey toward Sweden
+20Turkey initially withheld approval of Sweden’s NATO accession and later ratified it in January 2024, allowing Sweden to join the alliance. The prolonged accession process reflected Turkish demands concerning counterterrorism and related cooperation.
Sweden toward Turkey
+25Sweden adopted counterterrorism measures in response to commitments made during the NATO accession process and pursued closer security cooperation with Turkey as part of that process. Disagreements over Turkish extradition requests have remained a source of tension.
Overall relationship
+25The NATO accession process created a significant basis for security cooperation, culminating in Sweden’s membership after Turkish ratification. The drawn-out negotiations and continuing disagreements over counterterrorism and extradition requests temper that cooperation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey’s objections delayed Sweden’s NATO accession, but Turkey ultimately ratified Sweden’s membership in January 2024. Sweden enacted counterterrorism measures in response to commitments made during the accession process. These steps support concrete security cooperation, while disputes over terrorism-related issues and extradition requests have continued to complicate relations.
Areas of tension
- Turkish concerns about activities by groups it considers terrorist organizations in Sweden
- Turkish requests for the extradition of individuals from Sweden
Key developments
Turkey ratified Sweden’s NATO accession protocol after an extended period of negotiations and delay.
Sweden became a member of NATO, completing the accession process to which Turkey had ultimately consented.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of ongoing Turkish-Swedish cooperation on counterterrorism is unclear.
- The status and outcomes of individual extradition requests remain uncertain.