“THAT Turkey expresses concern about the strengthening of anti-Islamic rhetoric, actions in Europe, especially in the Scandinavian countries,” the Turkish President said. Recep Tayyip ErdoganThis is reported by the Anadolu agency.

“Turkey expects sincere steps from Sweden in the fight against Islamophobia,” Erdogan said, calling on Sweden and Finland to fully comply with the commitments made in the tripartite memorandum.

Turkey rules out giving a green light to Sweden’s NATO membership because (the country) allows attacks on Islam’s holy book, the Quran, President Erdogan said today.

“We will not say (Sweden) yes to joining NATO as long as you allow our holy book, the Koran, to be burned and torn apart, and this will be done with the (approval) of your security personnel,” Erdogan said, referring to . to the recent burning of a copy of the Koran in the capital Stockholm.

“We are closely following developments related to the process of NATO enlargement. Our view of Finland is positive, but not of Sweden,” he said, signaling his readiness to support Finland’s candidacy for NATO separately from Sweden’s candidacy.

Erdogan’s remarks come after Danish-Swedish extremist Rasmus Paludan burned copies of the Koran twice last week, first outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm and then in front of a mosque in Denmark. Paludan also said he would burn the Muslim holy book every Friday until Sweden was accepted into the NATO alliance.

^{Source: APE – MEB, Anadolu.}