‘Türkiye, Sweden allies since 1739’

Swedish Consul General in Istanbul Peter Ericson has emphasized that the first alliance between his country and Türkiye was established in 1739 and that the two countries have been in an alliance since then.

Waiting for Türkiye's approval for its NATO membership, Sweden has actually been in an alliance with Türkiye since 1739 when a treaty of amity was signed between Sweden and Ottoman Empire, Ericson pointed out during his interview with daily Hürriyet.

Ericson stated that the two countries had a checkered past in their relations, saying, "In this process, there have been many ups and downs in Swedish-Turkish relations. But mostly, there is an uptrend."

"In 1739, a treaty of alliance, unity and friendship was signed between Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. In a way, a defense alliance was formed. So, our relationships are quite deep-rooted," he expressed.

Reminding that both counties have been neighbors with Russia throughout history and tried to handle it in the most successful way, he noted that Türkiye and Sweden have always shared common interests.

"We have never fought in history. I think it is very important," he added.

The historical document of the agreement in 1739 is hung on the wall of the Swedish Palace in Istanbul.

Touching upon the burning of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm incident, which put an additional burden on Sweden's accession process, Ericson said that the act caused unrest in many ways.

"The government and the vast majority of Swedes are against Islamophobic acts. The act of burning the Quran had very unfortunate consequences. Many of our staff have started working from home as Swedish police also warned that Swedes might become targets," he explained.