Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) interviewed one of the PKK terrorist organization’s ringleaders, Ferhat Abdi Şahin amid debates between Stockholm and Ankara over support for terrorism.

Şahin said that the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, would respond to a potential military operation by Turkey into Syria’s north, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

He continued to say that Sweden’s support for the YPG must continue.

SVT recently also interviewed Salih Muslim, a prominent figure from the YPG on May 25 in Syria’s north where he hid in a U.S. military base.

The interview comes after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier this month said that as terrorist leaders’ speeches are broadcasted on Swedish state television, Turkey cannot welcome them to NATO.

"NATO is a security organization, not a terrorist organization," he said.

"Turkey cannot support Sweden's NATO bid while its state television broadcasts interviews of terrorist leaders and the same goes for Finland," Erdoğan had underlined.

Russia’s war on Ukraine prompted Finland and Sweden to formally apply to join NATO on May 18.

But Turkey, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, as well as for weapons embargoes against the country.

While the two Nordic countries said talks to resolve the dispute would continue, Erdoğan said recently that Ankara had not received any responses to its demands, including stopping support for terrorist groups and lifting arms embargoes on Ankara and extraditing terrorism suspects it seeks.

Any bid to join NATO requires unanimous backing from each of its 30 members.