– No national security issue is more important than that we quickly become members of NATO. Now it’s really serious, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson began Tuesday’s press conference on the Swedish NATO process and Sweden’s security.
Turkish President Erdogan stated on Monday that Sweden’s NATO application cannot expect Turkey’s support. The reason was the great outrage after the Koran burning.
At the press conference, the prime minister stated that Sweden’s application is being delayed due to provocateurs like Paludan, but emphasized that Sweden and Finland continue to agree to implement the NATO application jointly – although he expressed understanding that there may be Finnish frustration that the process is slow.
– This threatens peace in our part of the world. In Sweden, full freedom of expression applies. That’s who we want to defend. A very broad majority has decided that Sweden and Finland should join NATO. It must happen as quickly as possible, said Kristersson.
But it is not only Turkey that has reacted to Paludan’s Koran burning. In several other Muslim countries, there have been strong protests, and in the wake of that, voices have been raised about boycotting Swedish goods.
– The Foreign Ministry is not aware of any official initiatives to boycott Swedish goods, but notes that calls in this direction appear in social media, said Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M).
Watch an excerpt from the press conference in the player above.