Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Wednesday that Turkey won't allow Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as the Scandinavian country permits protests desecrating Islam's holy book to take place.
becoming 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.
Meanwhile, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström told Swedish news agency TT that his country was complying with an agreement reached by Turkey, Sweden and Finland last year, but said that “religion is not part of the agreement.” “Having said that, I fully understand that people take offense to the burning of holy writings and perceive it as deeply hurtful,” he said.“What is needed now is for the situation to cool down on all sides,” Billström said, adding that talks with Turkey on the implementation of the agreement were continuing. With the joint memorandum signed last year, Sweden and Finland agreed to address Turkey’s security concerns.
“Right now there is an election campaign going on in Turkey and in election campaigns many things are said,” Billström said.Jari Tanner reported from Helsinki. Jan M. Olsen contributed to this report from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Erdogan says Turkey positive on Finland's NATO bid, not Sweden'sTurkey looks positively on Finland's application for NATO membership, but does not support Sweden's bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Read more »
Türkiye won't allow Sweden in NATO unless attacks on Quran stop: ErdoganTürkiye rules out greenlighting Sweden joining NATO as long as it permits attacks on Islam's holy book the Quran, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says
Read more »
Sweden and Turkey Find Massive Rare Earth Deposits, Threatening ChinaSweden and Turkey announced large discoveries of rare earth minerals this month. Sweden’s discovery in particular could be a major step toward breaking Chinese dominance in the rare earth industry.
Read more »
Hungary lambasts Sweden over row with Türkiye and allowing Quran sacrilegeStockholm allowing burning a copy of Holy Quran as part of freedom of speech 'is just plain stupidity,' says Hungary's Foreign Minister Szijjarto, advising Nordic country to 'act differently' if it wants to secure Ankara's backing for NATO seat.
Read more »
Turkey's push into Iraq risks deeper conflictTurkey's advances across the increasingly depopulated border of Iraqi Kurdistan attract little global attention, but the escalation risks further destabilising a region where foreign powers have intervened with impunity, analysts say.
Read more »