ISTANBUL: Turkey reaffirmed on Tuesday that it will not be influenced by pressure regarding Sweden’s bid to join NATO, stating that it is still evaluating whether the Nordic country’s accession would benefit or harm the alliance.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made these remarks just two days ahead of his meeting with his Swedish counterpart in Brussels to discuss Stockholm’s aspiration to become the 32nd member of the US-led defense alliance. NATO aims to welcome Sweden into the alliance before the summit of alliance leaders in Lithuania scheduled for July 11-12.
However, Turkey and fellow NATO member Hungary are impeding the ratification process due to various individual disputes with both Sweden and Brussels. The approval of all current members is required for the admission of new countries into the world’s most influential defense organization. “We never approve of the use of time pressure as a method,” Fidan stated during a televised press conference.
Turkey Angry Over Desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
Ankara has been frustrated by the decision of Stockholm authorities to grant permits for protests in which anti-Islamic figures burned pages of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy and mosques. The most recent demonstration, which occurred on the first day of the Eid al-Adha religious holiday last week, drew strong condemnation from the Muslim world.
Fidan referred to this incident as an example of Sweden failing to uphold the commitments it made when it initially gained Turkey’s support for its NATO application in Madrid a year ago. “Sweden’s security system is not capable of preventing provocations. Instead of bringing strength, this is causing more problems for NATO,” he expressed. “When discussing Sweden’s NATO membership from a strategic and security perspective, it is crucial to determine whether it will be a benefit or a burden.”
On Sunday, the Swedish government condemned the Quran burning as “Islamophobic.” However, it emphasized in a statement from the foreign ministry that Sweden possesses a “constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression, and demonstration.” The Stockholm police had previously determined that the risks associated with the Quran burning “did not justify, under current laws, a decision to reject the request.”
Sweden, along with its neighboring country Finland, abandoned decades of military non-alignment and applied for NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland officially became a member of the alliance in April.
