Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan disclosed at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in the country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership.
“The fact that the Swedish security system is incapable of preventing provocations and is presenting an image of a (country) that brings problems to NATO — instead of more power — is making us think in terms of the strategic and security aspects.”
Hakan Fidan
“When it comes to Sweden’s membership in NATO, whether it will become a burden or a benefit has become more open to debate,” Fidan added.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland ended their decades-long neutrality and submitted applications to join NATO.
After Turkey expressed satisfaction with Finland’s attempts to meet demands and the Turkish parliament accepted its membership, Finland was able to join the alliance earlier this year.
Asserting that Sweden is too lenient toward groups that Ankara sees as dangers to its security, such as Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara believes was responsible for a failed coup in 2016, Turkey has been delaying ratifying Sweden’s membership in the alliance.
Series of demonstrations in Sweden by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as well as Quran-burning protests, including one that took place last week that was condemned by Muslim countries, have further infuriated Turkey.
The Quran-burning incident occurred outside the Swedish capital Stockholm’s main mosque last week and was carried out by a man during a protest authorised by the police.
Following a call for action by a global Islamic organization to stop further desecration of the Muslim holy book, the Swedish government denounced the “Islamophobic” act.
In response to the incident, government representatives from various nations, including those in the Middle East, called on Stockholm to strengthen its efforts to combat religious hatred.
In addition to issuing a public rebuke, Morocco also temporarily withdrew its Ambassador to Sweden for an indefinite period.
Morocco’s foreign ministry also called on Sweden’s chargé d’affaires in Rabat and expressed its “strong condemnation of this attack and its rejection of this unacceptable act”, state media announced.
NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the alliance’s leaders meet in Lithuania on July 11 to July 12, 2023. NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg has called for a meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland on July 6, 2023 aimed at overcoming Turkish objections to Sweden’s membership.
Sweden has changed its anti-terror legislation after applying for membership. Nonetheless, Fidan maintained that terror groups were able to continue to stage demonstrations, raise money and recruit members in Sweden.
Sweden Could Join NATO If It “Does Its Homework”
Nonetheless, the Turkish Foreign Minister averred, “If Sweden continues with its efforts and does its homework, there are always alternatives, just as there was in the case of Finland.”
Fidan said this in reference to a memorandum that Sweden and Finland signed with Turkey last year under which they agreed to address Ankara’s concerns.
Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian Foreign Minister also called for mutual respect of religious values and for the prevention of such protests.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Council disclosed on Tuesday that following a request by Pakistan, the council will hold an urgent debate to “discuss the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred, as manifested by the current desecration of the holy Quran in some European and other countries.”
