Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday that Swedish authorities' failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in the country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden's credentials for possible NATO membership.
But Hakan Fidan said Turkey would still approve Sweden's membership in the military alliance if Stockholm "completes its homework" and presses ahead with efforts to address Turkey's concerns.
Sweden and Finland abandoned their decades-long neutrality and applied to join NATO last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead. It is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S and the European Union.
Sweden has changed its anti-terror legislation after applying for membership. Fidan, Turkey's former intelligence chief who was appointed foreign minister last month, maintained that terror groups were able to continue to stage demonstrations, raise money and recruit members in Sweden. Meanwhile, Pope Francis lamented last week's Quran-burning protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm in an interview with the United Arab Emirates' Al-Ittihad newspaper. Swedish police allowed the event to take place, citing freedom of speech, after a court overturned a ban on a similar Quran-burning.
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