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ANKARA – Turkiye yesterday summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara over Sweden’s permission for a planned burning of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Staffan Herrstrom was told that Turkiye “strongly condemns this provocative act which is clearly a hate crime…Sweden’s attitude is unacceptable (and) Ankara expects the act not to be allowed – and insults to sacred values cannot be defended under the guise of democratic rights,” the Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Turkiye warned Sweden that allowing propaganda activities involving PKK-affiliated circles, which were planned to be carried out in the capital Stockholm today, is a “clear violation” of the tripartite deal, Anadolu Agency said quoting the sources.
Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was given permission to burn the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, according to Stockholm police.
Meanwhile, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he was concerned that the demonstration risks further delaying Turkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s Nato bid. However, he added that it would be “very inappropriate” to prevent a person from carrying out a demonstration.
Last week, Turkiye called on Sweden to take steps against terror groups after a demonstration in Stockholm, where supporters of the PKK terrorist organisation hung an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by the feet and then uploaded the footage along with threats against Turkiye and Erdogan.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join Nato last May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment – a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started on February 24.
But Turkiye – a Nato member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terror groups, including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation.
Last June, Turkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a Nato summit to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance. – Bernama, January 21, 2023