Turkish Foreign Ministry accused Sweden of violating obligations of the memorandum on NATO accession
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey accused Sweden in violation of the obligations of the accession process to NATO, according to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic.
On the eve of the Nordic News portal reported that the leader of the Danish far-right party “Hard Course” Rasmus Paludan received permission to hold a rally with the burning of the Koran at the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. It took place on Saturday at 4 p.m. Moscow time.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the permission to hold a propaganda demonstration by groups affiliated with the terrorist organization PKK in downtown Stockholm immediately after the vile attack on the holy Quran was authorized today. This is a clear violation of Sweden’s obligation under the trilateral memorandum to prevent propaganda by terrorist organizations,” the ministry stressed.
They noted that a statement of commitment and its implementation are two different things.
“We reiterate that we expect Sweden to take concrete and effective steps beyond rhetoric, especially in the fight against terrorism, in accordance with its obligations under the trilateral memorandum,” the statement said.
Earlier on Saturday, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced the cancellation of his Swedish counterpart Paul Johnson’s visit to the country on Jan. 27 because “it no longer makes sense.”
Last week, Ankara also canceled the visit of Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen. This came after supporters of Turkey’s banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party held a rally in Stockholm shouting insults at Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case on this occasion.
Finland and Sweden decided to join NATO on May 18, 2022 against the background of the events in Ukraine. Their applications have already been approved by 28 countries of the alliance, but Hungary and Turkey have not ratified them.
Ankara demands that Stockholm and Helsinki stop supporting the PKK and extradite activists whom Turkey considers to be involved in terrorism. Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that without fulfilling these promises, there will be no progress in admitting the Nordic countries to NATO.
