President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Sweden should not expect Turkey’s support for its NATO membership after a protest including the burning of a copy of the Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm over the weekend.
Protests in Stockholm on Saturday against Turkey and against Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) raised tensions with Turkey, whose support Sweden needs to gain admission to the military alliance.
Erdogan said in a speech after a cabinet meeting, “Those who allow this kind of blasphemy in front of our embassy can no longer expect our support for NATO membership.”
“If you love and protect the members of terrorist organizations and enemies of Islam so much, we advise you to seek their support for the security of your countries,” he said.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström declined to immediately comment on Erdogan’s remarks, telling Reuters in a written statement that he wanted to understand exactly what was said.