There will be no yes to Swedish membership in NATO as long as Korans are allowed to be burned in Sweden, says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan according to, among others, the Turkish news agency Anatolia.
– Don’t worry, Sweden. As long as you allow my holy book, the Koran, to be burned and destroyed, we will not say yes to your entry into NATO, he said, according to a brief update on the news agency’s website.
In the speech, which the president gives in the Turkish parliament, he also states that the image of Finland remains positive. See an excerpt from the speech here.
(TT)
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet ratified the Swedish and Finnish applications.
While the tone from Turkey has hardened, Hungary has signaled that the country has a positive attitude towards Sweden and Finland in NATO. An approval is expected in the Hungarian parliament this spring.
This summer, Sweden and Finland concluded an agreement with Turkey with a series of points that must be fulfilled in order for Turkey to give the green light to the countries’ NATO applications.
After the parliaments of all 30 NATO members approve Sweden’s and Finland’s application, the applicant countries’ parliaments must also approve the accession protocol, and send it to the US State Department. The USA then sends a letter to NATO and announces that the new countries have been admitted to the defense alliance.
The article is updated.