Sweden and Denmark Urged by Turkey to Stop Koran Burnings
In a recent phone conversation between Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Turkey demanded that Sweden put an end to Koran burnings. The request was made explicitly, with Fidan emphasizing that the country does not accept freedom of expression as an excuse for such acts, according to a source at Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reuters reported that Fidan referred to the Koran burnings as “disgusting acts” that are totally unacceptable. Denmark’s Lars Lokke Rasmussen also received a similar phone call from Fidan on Saturday following Koran burnings that took place in front of the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen earlier this week.
The issue of Koran burnings has become highly debated in connection with Sweden’s application for membership in NATO. Turkey, a NATO member itself, has yet to approve Sweden’s application. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has relayed that the decision on Sweden’s membership will be made by parliament after the summer holidays in October.
The demand from Turkey to halt Koran burnings adds another layer of complexity to Sweden’s bid for NATO membership. The Swedish government would need to address this issue among others to meet the requirements set by Turkey in order to gain its approval.