Turkey today announced the cancellation of a planned visit by the Swedish Defense Minister after Swedish authorities allowed an anti-Turkish demonstration to take place in Stockholm.

“The visit of Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson to Turkey on January 27 has lost its meaning and significance, so we canceled it,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

Jonsson’s visit was aimed at persuading Ankara to withdraw its objections to Sweden’s entry into NATO.

Aker indicated that he discussed the issue of the demonstration with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and conveyed his reaction to his Swedish counterpart on the sidelines of yesterday’s conference of countries militarily supporting Ukraine in Ramstein, Germany.

The Swedish authorities allowed far-right Swede Rasmus Paludan to organize a rally in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm today, during which he intends to “burn the Koran.”

The event provoked a strong reaction from Ankara.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish Ambassador yesterday Friday to protest because the Swedish authorities had given permission for this demonstration to take place outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

The ministry also told the Swedish ambassador that allowing a separate protest today by a group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “sympathizers” is a violation of bilateral agreements.

Sweden and Finland are waiting for Turkey to approve their entry into NATO. Last week, Swedish Ambassador to Turkey Staffan Herström was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in connection with yet another demonstration in which participants hung an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sweden condemned the incident, but Ankara says it must take a clear stance on terrorism.

Source: APE-ME, AFP, REUTERS.