Erdogan says Sweden should not expect Turkey to support its NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden should no longer expect support for its NATO bid from the country after the scandalous actions in Stockholm. He said this on Monday after a cabinet meeting.

“These dirty actions in Sweden, and even near our diplomatic mission, are considered an insult to both Muslims and all people in general, all rights and freedoms. You keep supporting terrorists and waiting for support to join NATO. This is not the way to go. Sweden should not expect this support from us anymore,” he said. The broadcast was carried by TRT television channel.

The Turkish leader said he expected Stockholm to fulfill its obligations against terrorist organizations in full.

If the Swedish authorities respect the rights and freedoms so much, they should first of all respect the religious feelings of the Republic of Turkey and all Muslims. If you don't show this respect, I'm sorry, but you won't get a drop of support from us for joining NATO.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President of Turkey 

Turkish authorities strongly protested last Saturday’s burning of a Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, calling the action “racist” and “modern-day barbarism.” Numan Kurtulmus, deputy head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), warned that Turkey would not approve Sweden’s application to join NATO until it fulfills the anti-terrorism memorandum signed with Ankara. On January 11, a rally was held in Stockholm in support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, recognized as terrorist in Turkey. During the rally, its participants staged the hanging of a doll resembling Erdogan. The incident and Sweden’s refusal to search for those involved in the scandalous action also provoked a harsh reaction from Ankara.