President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his criticism of Sweden on Wednesday following the desecration of Islam's holy book – the Quran – and vowed they would not allow the Nordic country into NATO as long as it tolerated such acts. His remarks came after Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Quran in a provocative act outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
"Don't even bother, Sweden! As long as you allow my holy book, the Quran, to be burned and torn, and you do so 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 remarks were short, unlike his previous statements on the issue, but they were harsher in tone, while he also reaffirmed that their support for Finland's NATO bid was unchanged. Finnish media outlets have reported earlier that the Finnish police would not allow any public desecration of the Quran in the country, citing laws against violation of religious peace.
Sweden and Finland need approval of fellow member Türkiye for joining the security alliance, amid an ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, whose spillover Europe fears.
Paludan's scandalous act followed a series of demonstrations by the supporters of the PKK terrorist group in Sweden, including one where they hanged an effigy of Erdoğan outside Stockholm city hall. Ankara has already been critical of Sweden over tolerance for terror suspects, particularly over its refusal to extradite wanted members of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Swedish government officials have distanced themselves from the protests but also cited that the country had "freedom of speech." The strongest criticism was from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson who denounced the activists who carried out the demonstrations as "useful idiots" for foreign powers who want to inflict harm on the Scandinavian country on the path to NATO. "We have seen how foreign actors, even state actors, have used these manifestations to inflame the situation in a way that is directly harmful for Swedish security," Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm, without naming any country.
Sweden and neighboring Finland abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join NATO in the wake of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All NATO members, except Türkiye and Hungary, have ratified their accession, but unanimity is required.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Ankara has fewer problems with Finland becoming a NATO member than with its neighbor Sweden. He stressed, however, that it was up to the military alliance to decide whether to accept one country only or the Nordic duo together – something that both countries are committed to.
On the possibility of NATO deciding to deal with the membership processes of the Nordic neighbors separately, Çavuşoğlu said, "(Türkiye) will then of course reconsider (ratifying) Finland’s membership separately and more favorably, I can say," said during a joint news conference with his Estonian colleague in Tallinn. He did not specify a time frame.