Turkey summons Sweden's ambassador over a puppet of Erdogan in protest
A diplomatic source said that Turkey summoned today, Thursday, the Swedish ambassador in Ankara, over hanging an effigy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from its feet at a protest in Stockholm.
Sweden is seeking Turkey's approval of its request to join NATO, which it submitted after the start of the Russian war on Ukraine last year.
Ankara said Sweden should take a clearer stance against what Ankara considers terrorists, most of them Kurdish militants and the organization it blames for the 2016 coup attempt.
Finland and Sweden signed an agreement with Turkey in 2022 aimed at addressing Ankara's objections to their membership in the alliance.
A Turkish diplomatic source said that Sweden's ambassador to Turkey, Staffan Herstrom, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry headquarters today, Thursday, and Ankara's response was conveyed to him.
"It was confirmed that we expected the identity of those involved to be identified, the implementation of the necessary procedures, and Sweden's fulfillment of its promises," the source said.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara, but declined to give details of what was discussed.
Footage released by pro-government Turkish media on Thursday showed what it said was a protest by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hanging an effigy of Erdogan outside Stockholm's city hall.
Only a very small number of people appear in the footage.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said Stockholm condemned the incident but did not refer directly to any country.
The minister tweeted, "Depicting a popularly elected president as being executed outside the municipal council is abhorrent."
"The fact that a PKK terrorist was able to challenge the Swedish government in the heart of Stockholm is evidence that the Swedish authorities have not taken the necessary steps against terrorism," Fahrettin Altun, director of communications in the Turkish presidency, wrote on Twitter.
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