Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called on Sweden to take concrete measures to halt the burning of the Koran, a Turkish foreign ministry source revealed on Sunday.
Both Sweden and Denmark have recently witnessed protests where copies of the Koran were damaged or set on fire, sparking outrage among Muslim communities. In Baghdad, angry protesters stormed and set ablaze Sweden’s embassy.
During a phone call, Fidan conveyed to his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom, that the continuation of such “vile actions” under the pretext of freedom of expression was unacceptable.
In addition to discussing the issue of Koran burnings, Fidan and Billstrom also touched upon Sweden’s application for NATO military alliance membership.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Sunday that he had engaged in discussions with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and they both agreed on the gravity of the situation. Kristersson emphasized the need to adopt measures to bolster resilience in the face of such incidents.
As a response to the alarming situation, the Swedish government announced this month that it would explore the possibility of amending the Public Order Act to empower the police to intervene and halt demonstrations that pose a threat to Sweden’s security.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen shared on Sunday that the government would actively seek a “legal tool” to empower authorities to prevent the burning of copies of the Koran in front of other countries’ embassies.
