Swedish billion-dollar support for Putin-linked project

 

Vladimir Putin Swedish billion-dollar support for Putin-linked construction 

Of: 

Emil Forsberg 

Published: Today 07.00 

Updated: Less than 30 min ago 

NEWS 

The Swedish state wants to support a billion-dollar construction project in Turkey, DN reports. 

The government denies a connection to the NATO negotiations between the countries. 

The Turkish company is linked to both Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, according to the newspaper. 

 According to Dagens Nyheter, it concerns a project with a high-speed railway between the cities of Gaziantep and the strategically important port city of Mersin.

Official figures from the Turkish Ministry of Finance show that Sweden has given a guarantee of almost three billion Swedish kronor. 

The Turkish company REC is owned by Turkish businessman Erman Ilicak with connections to both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

In the spring of 2021, the Swedish authority, the Export Credit Board, received an application for financial support directly from the Turkish state. In the investigation, it was concluded that there is no specific Russia connection - and on June 6 this year, the authority gave the green light. 

"No such connection exists" 

The authority denies that the deal would have a connection with the NATO negotiations between Sweden and Turkey. 

 "No, there is no such connection. The case in question is currently handled by EKN (Export Credit Board). The Government Office has not given any guidance on the matter, but it is the responsibility of the authority to conduct a thorough review of all projects in accordance with the current regulations and regulatory letter," writes Tobias Eke Vestergren, the Minister of Foreign Trade's press secretary to DN.

Recep Erdogan and Vladimir Putin. Archive image. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / AP