Turkey summons Sweden’s ambassador to Foreign Ministry

* Photo: AA - Archive

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Turkey on Tuesday (April 20) summoned Sweden's envoy to "strongly condemn" the recent meetings between Sweden's high-level officials and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazlum Kobani.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), summoning Ambassador Staffan Herrström, the Foreign Ministry censured a video conference between Sweden's Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and Kobani as well as a meeting between Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Kobani, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

According to the sources, the Ministry informed Herrström about the country's discomfort as Sweden has increased its contacts with the SDF.

What was talked about in the meeting?

The move came after Minister Hultqvist spoke with Kobani, the head of the SDF. While the footage of the meeting has been released, the AA has reported that during the meeting, Sweden's Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist is said to have pledged to resolve the problems of detention centers and prisoners, saying that he would work to improve these centers.

"I will inform my colleagues and the government on a possible mechanism to facilitate assistance," he reportedly said further.

As reported by Sputnik, Minister Hultqvist also said during the meeting that ISIS is not over yet and it will extremely come back if it finds the opportunity, noting that the Global Coalition must work more comprehensively and develop new solutions to obtain better results.

He also added that improving the infrastructure and offering a better life for people in the region will make a significant contribution to end ISIS. (EKN/SD)