Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan also renewed his condemnation of a Koran-burning protest in Sweden last week, describing the action as a hate crime against Muslims.
“We have made it clear that the determined fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia is our red line,” Erdogan said. “Everyone must accept that Turkey’s friendship cannot be won by supporting terrorism or giving space to terrorists.”
Turkey has delayed approving Sweden’s membership in the military alliance, accusing the country of being too lenient towards anti-Islamic protests and groups that Ankara views as threats to its security. These include Kurdish militant groups that have waged a deadly insurgency for decades in Turkey.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has left tens of thousands dead. The United States and the European Union have designated the PKK as a terrorist organization.
NATO will meet in Lithuania on July 11 and 12 and will seek to address the integration of Sweden, but Ankara resists. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all its members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only ones that have not ratified the Stockholm request.
Swedish police last week allowed a protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm citing freedom of expression after a court struck down a ban on burning the Koran.
“The vile attack on our holy book, the Holy Quran, in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, angered us all,” Erdogan said. “This perverted disregard for the feelings of 2 billion Muslims cannot be compatible with the most basic human values, let alone freedom of thought.”
Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment and asked to join NATO out of fear that Moscow would attack them after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Finland joined the alliance earlier this year.
FUENTE: Associated Press
