Erdogan to Sweden: Don't expect Turkish support for NATO bid after Stockholm protest - Reuters

ANKARA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Sweden should not expect Turkey's enactment for its NATO rank aft a protestation adjacent the Turkish embassy successful Stockholm astatine the play including the burning of a transcript of the Koran, President Tayyip Erdogan said connected Monday.

Protests successful Stockholm on Saturday against Turkey and against Sweden's bid to articulation the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) person heightened tensions with Turkey, whose backing Sweden needs to summation introduction to the subject alliance.

"Those who let specified blasphemy successful beforehand of our embassy tin nary longer expect our enactment for their NATO membership," Erdogan said successful a code aft a Cabinet meeting.

"If you emotion members of violent organisations and enemies of Islam truthful overmuch and support them, past we counsel you to question their enactment for your countries' security," helium said.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom declined to instantly remark connected Erdogan's remarks, telling Reuters successful a written connection helium wanted to recognize precisely what had been said.

"But Sweden volition respect the statement that exists betwixt Sweden, Finland and Turkey regarding our NATO membership," helium added.

Sweden and Finland applied past twelvemonth to articulation NATO pursuing Russia's penetration of Ukraine but each 30 subordinate states indispensable o.k. their bids. Ankara has antecedently said Sweden successful peculiar indispensable archetypal instrumentality a clearer stance against what it sees arsenic terrorists, chiefly Kurdish militants and a radical it blames for a 2016 coup effort successful Turkey.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Finland and Sweden are acceptable to articulation the alliance, but declined to remark connected whether Washington thought Erdogan's comments meant a definitive shutting of the doorway to them.

"Ultimately, this is simply a determination and statement that Finland and Sweden are going to person to scope with Turkey," Price said.

Price told reporters that burning books that are beatified to galore is simply a profoundly disrespectful act, adding that the United States is cognizant that those who whitethorn beryllium down what took spot successful Sweden whitethorn beryllium intentionally trying to weaken unity crossed the Atlantic and among Washington's European allies.

"We person a saying successful this state - thing tin beryllium lawful but awful. I deliberation successful this case, what we've seen successful the discourse of Sweden falls into that category," Price said.

The Koran-burning was carried retired by Rasmus Paludan, person of Danish far-right governmental enactment Hard Line. Paludan, who besides has Swedish citizenship, has staged a fig of demonstrations successful the past wherever helium burned the Koran.

Several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait denounced the event. Turkey had already summoned Sweden's ambassador and cancelled a planned sojourn by the Swedish defence curate to Ankara.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever; Additional reporting by Niklas Pollard successful Stockholm and Humeyra Pamuk successful Washington; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Grant McCool

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