Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today, Thursday, that the Swedish government is a "partner" in the incident of burning a copy of the Holy Quran, after it allowed last week to commit this "despicable act" near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Cavusoglu stated - during a press conference with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Ankara - that this incident is a hate crime and an act of racism, and not freedom of expression as some want to interpret it.
He added, "If Sweden says: I am now a radical racist country, therefore I have become a country hostile to Islam, and Islamophobia and racism are permitted; this is its business, but it also violates the agreements of the European Council."
In turn, the Serbian Foreign Minister considered that the incident of burning the Holy Qur'an in front of the Turkish embassy was a "great tragedy."
He warned that burning holy books in a country "may be the first step that could lead in the next stage to the burning of people."
"I can hardly believe that something like this is happening in a country that is part of the West. It is a great tragedy," he said.
Dacic - who also holds the position of Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister - stressed that the incident is "very ugly", and stressed the need for countries to deal in serious ways with this issue, stressing that this incident will not produce positive results in any way, and that it is an accident. Which can attract the hatred of the entire world, as he put it.
It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in turn, denounced the burning incident, stressing that Sweden, after this incident, should not expect Turkey's support for its membership file in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Erdogan said - in a speech delivered after a meeting of the government in Ankara - "If you do not respect the religious beliefs of Turkey or Muslims, do not expect any support from us regarding your membership in NATO."
"This ugly act in Sweden is an insult to all those who respect people's basic rights and freedoms, especially Muslims," he added.
Last Saturday, the Danish-Swedish far-right, Rasmus Paludan, burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, angering Ankara and several Arab and Islamic countries. It was also met with condemnation and rejection of several Western countries.
This anti-Islam activist burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an amid strict security protection, and behind barriers set up by Swedish policemen.