Erdoğan rules out NATO support for Sweden after Koran burning
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his criticism of Sweden on Wednesday after the desecration of Islam’s holy book – the Koran – and vowed not to allow the Nordic country into NATO as long as it tolerated such acts. His statements came after Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran in a provocative act outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
“Don’t even bother, Sweden! As long as you allow my holy book, the Koran, to be burned and torn apart, and you do it together with your security forces, we will not say ‘yes’ to your entry into NATO,” Erdoğan said in a speech at his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) parliamentary group meeting. Erdoğan’s comments were brief, unlike his previous statements on the issue, but they were harsher in tone, while also confirming that their support for Finland’s NATO bid was unchanged. Finnish media previously reported that Finnish police would not allow any public desecration of the Koran in the country, citing laws against violating religious peace.
Sweden and Finland need the approval of fellow Türkiye to join the security alliance, amid an ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the spillover effect of which Europe fears.
Paludan’s scandalous act followed a series of demonstrations by supporters of the terrorist group PKK in Sweden, including one where they hung a picture of Erdoğan outside Stockholm’s city hall. Ankara has already been critical of Sweden over tolerance of terror suspects, particularly over its refusal to extradite wanted members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Swedish government officials have distanced themselves from the protests but also referred to the country’s “freedom of expression”. The strongest criticism came from Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who condemned the activists who carried out the demonstrations as “useful idiots” for foreign powers who want to harm the Scandinavian country on the way to NATO. – We have seen how foreign actors, even state actors, have used these demonstrations to incite the situation in a way that is directly harmful to Swedish security, Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm without naming any country.
Sweden and neighboring Finland abandoned decades of non-alignment and applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All NATO members, except Turkey and Hungary, have ratified their accession, but unanimity is required.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Ankara has fewer problems with Finland becoming a member of NATO than with neighboring Sweden. However, he stressed that it was up to the military alliance to decide whether to accept just one country or the Nordic duo together – something both countries are committed to.
On the possibility of NATO deciding to handle the Nordic neighbors’ membership processes separately, Çavuşoğlu said, “(Türkiye) will then of course reconsider (ratify) Finland’s membership separately and more favorably, I can say,” said during a joint news conference with his Estonian colleague in Tallinn. He has not specified a time frame.