Sweden should not count on Turkey’s support to join NATO – Erdogan
Stockholm should not expect Ankara’s support for Sweden’s entry into NATO after anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic actions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday
ISTANBUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – January 23, 2023) Stockholm should not expect Ankara’s support for Sweden’s entry into NATO after anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic actions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
On Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Danish political party Stram Kurs, burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm after receiving the relevant permission from the authorities. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the act, calling it a “disgusting attack” against the holy book and “another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe.” The burning of the Koran was also condemned by the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
“If you allow such actions, then do not take offense, but you will not get support from us on the issue of joining NATO. The Swedish leadership should not expect our support,” Erdogan said in his address to the nation after the cabinet meeting on Monday.
He stressed that those who create such “heresy”, as well as those who allow these acts, must be held accountable for their actions.
On 18 May last year, against the background of the events in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden submitted an application for membership in NATO to the alliance’s secretary general. Initially, Ankara blocked the start of the processing of these applications, but on June 29, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a trilateral security memorandum that takes into account all of Ankara’s concerns. Turkey has withdrawn its objections to the two countries joining NATO. As of October 6, 28 out of 30 NATO member states have already taken a positive decision on the accession of northern countries to NATO, with the exception of Turkey and Hungary.
On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Paludan’s actions were a clear violation of the obligation in the tripartite memorandum, which Sweden signed, to prevent the propaganda of terrorist organizations.