“The visit of the Swedish defense minister to Turkey on January 27 lost its meaning and importance, so we canceled it,” Akar said.
Turkey announced today, Saturday, that it is canceling the planned official visit of Sweden’s defense minister, due to an anti-Turkish demonstration planned in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
“Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson’s visit to Turkey on January 27 lost its meaning and significance, so we canceled it,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Jonsson’s visit was aimed at persuading Ankara to lift its objections to Sweden joining NATO.
Akar 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 that support Ukraine militarily in Ramstein, Germany.
The Swedish authorities have given permission to 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 has provoked a strong reaction from Ankara.
Yesterday Friday, Turkey’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador to protest because the Swedish authorities gave permission for this demonstration to take place near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
The ministry also told the Swedish ambassador that allowing a separate protest also to be held today by a group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “sympathizers” was a violation of bilateral agreements.
Sweden and Finland are waiting for Turkey to approve their accession to NATO. Last week, Staffan Herström, the Swedish ambassador to Turkey, was summoned to the foreign ministry over another demonstration in which participants hanged an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sweden condemned the incident, but Ankara says it should take a clear stance against terrorism.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
