‘Quran Burning’ action allowed in Stockholm: Turkey cancels visit of Swedish Defense Minister
Turkey reacted harshly to the fact that Rasmus Paludan, the leader of Sweden’s racist Tight Direction Party (Stram Kurs) based in Denmark, known for his far-right views, will burn the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm to the Qur’an. After Sweden’s Ambassador to Turkey Staffan Herrström was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson’s visit to Turkey on Friday was also cancelled.
Presidency Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop and AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik also reacted to the Koran burning action in Stockholm.
Reuters wrote that pro-Turkey activists were also allowed to gather in front of the Embassy.
Minister Akar: It doesn’t matter
Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, followed by the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting in Germany, said, “At this point, the importance of the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to Turkey on January 27 is meaningless. Therefore, we canceled the visit. said.
During Jonson’s visit, Turkey’s objections to Sweden’s accession to NATO were expected to be addressed.
Prior to Minister Akar’s statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also made a statement yesterday and announced that Herrström, the Swedish Ambassador to Ankara, was summoned to the Ministry on Friday.
It was emphasized to the Ambassador that we strongly condemn the provocative act, which is a crime of aggression, that these guests of Sweden are unacceptable, that we do not expect them to be held in action, that insults to sacred values cannot be defended under the guise of ‘democratic rights’.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “Hate crime is not freedom of thought, freedom of expression. “Unfortunately, this person was given permission despite all our warnings.”
Çavuşoğlu told the Swedish authorities that this action would cause indignation all over the world.
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın similarly stated that a warning was given before the action today, interpreting the action as “encouraging hate crimes and Islamophobia”.
Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, used the following statements:
AKP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, “To take these hate crimes committed by the Swedish authorities under protection.”
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli also gave the message that Sweden can support NATO countries.
In Stockholm today, it is also expected that Sweden will protest the rise of Sweden during the NATO membership negotiations, as some users are sent back because of Turkey’s experiences with the PKK.
Ankara considers the extradition of Sweden and Finland to Turkey, which it describes as “members of a terrorist organization”, as an important provision for accepting NATO membership.
Last month, Sweden extradited Mahmut Tat, who had a definite prison sentence due to “terrorist organization prisons” in Turkey. Tat was arrested after his extradition to Turkey.
It was stated that the preservation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these protest teachers expected today also emerged during the meeting with the Swedish Ambassador:
“PKK-affiliated circles announced that they would hold a demonstration in the center of Stockholm; It is stated that allowing terrorist organizations and their supporters’ propaganda activities is an open distribution of the Triple Ahitname.”
Sweden’s Ambassador to Ankara, Herrström, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week for the protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned Erdogan’s puppet being hanged by his feet on a pole overlooking a building and sharing this moment on social media.