WE WILL NOT SAY ‘YES’ TO SWEDEN’S NATO APPLICATION: ERDOĞAN

Wed 01 February 2023:

Türkiye looks positively on Finland‘s application for NATO membership, but does not support Sweden’s bid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday.

“Sweden should not bother to try at this point. We will not say ‘yes’ to their NATO application as long as they allow burning of the Koran,” Erdoğan said in a speech to the AK Party deputies in parliament.

Erdogğan signalled on Sunday that Ankara could agree to Finland joining NATO ahead of Sweden and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Monday made similar statements.

“If NATO and these countries (Finland and Sweden) take such a decision, we, as Türkiye, think that we may evaluate the applications separately, but first of all, NATO and these countries have to decide,” Çavuşoğlu told a joint press conference with his Portuguese counterpart Joao Gomes Cravinho in the capital Ankara.

Respect Islam

After a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara last week President Erdoan said, that wiithout changing course on showing respect for Islam and cracking down on terror groups, Sweden should not expect any good news from Türkiye on its NATO bid.

Erdoğan’s pointed remarks came after Rasmus Paludan, an extreme-right Danish politician, on Saturday burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, under police protection and with permission from the Swedish government.

“If you do not show respect to the religious beliefs of the Republic of Türkiye or Muslims, you will not receive any support for NATO (membership) from us,” he added.

Erdoğan stressed that no individual has the freedom to insult the faith of Muslims or other religions and beliefs.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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