The Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish envoy in Türkiye's capital Ankara over the country’s authorization of a demonstration involving the burning of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday, diplomatic sources said Friday.
Staffan Herrstrom was told that Türkiye strongly condemns the provocative act, which amounts to hate speech, and that Stockholm's stance is unacceptable.
The ministry also told him that the desecration of sacred values cannot be defended under the "guise of democratic rights."
The ministry further said that Sweden's authorization of the planned demonstration by sympathizers of the PKK terrorist group and its affiliates in downtown Stockholm is a clear violation of the trilateral memorandum signed between Türkiye, Finland and Sweden, under the scope of their NATO membership.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), also condemned the "permission for an action aimed at burning the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm."
"What the Swedish authorities are doing is patronizing hate crime," he said on Twitter, adding that "the Swedish authorities are encouraging fascism by permitting such acts."
He also said, "any disrespect toward the Quran is a crime against humanity."
Rasmus Paludan, the leader of a Danish far-right party, was given permission to burn the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, according to Stockholm police.
Meanwhile, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom seemed to comprehend that the planned desecration of Islam's holy book specifically chosen to be conducted in front of the Turkish Embassy risks further "delaying" Türkiye's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid. However, he said that it would be "very inappropriate" for him to not allow a person to carry out, what he termed, "a demonstration."
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.
However, Türkiye, a vital NATO member for more than 70 years, opposed the two countries' membership aspirations due to their tolerance and even backing for terrorist groups.
A trilateral agreement signed among the countries in June stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, nor to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) – the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye – and said Ankara extends full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security.
Following the agreement, the leaders of NATO's 30 members signed the countries' ascension protocols, a key step ahead of their formal entry into the alliance. The legislatures of all standing members, including Türkiye's Parliament, must now ratify the bids before the process can conclude.