Sweden’s ministers return to Arlanda Airport due to technical issues en route to Turkey

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer were forced to turn back to Arlanda Airport due to technical issues with the government aircraft while en route to Turkey. The meeting in Ankara was intended to address collaboration against terrorism and organized crime, among other topics.

According to Caroline Opsahl, a spokesperson for the Justice Minister, the incident was purely a safety precaution and posed no immediate danger to passengers or crew. The ministers were looking forward to this meeting, which was planned to be the inaugural session of a security dialogue, known as the “Security Compact,” that was agreed upon by Sweden and Turkey during the NATO summit in Vilnius in 2023.

The agenda for the meeting was to cover critical issues including the fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime, the war in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, and other foreign policy matters. The Swedish government indicated that a new meeting should be arranged at the earliest opportunity.