Turkey’s Relations with Sweden: The Puzzle of NATO’s Expansion
Turkey’s Relations with Sweden: The Puzzle of NATO’s Expansion The process of Sweden and Finland acceding to NATO membership is not over yet. But recent developments show that a delay is inevitable due to tense relations between Turkey and Sweden, writes Hasan Selim Özertem , Ankara-based political analyst. On January 21, far-right extremist politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. On the same day, PKK sympathizers were also protesting Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the streets of Sweden’s capital. Immediately afterwards, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the protests and defined the burning of the Quran as a “ vile attack ”. Later, Turkish Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar stated that Swedish Minister of Defence Pål Jonson’s planned visit was cancelled. The visit was a part of the coordination meeting between the parties to discuss the accession process. These developments were just harbinge...