Turkey's no to Sweden in NATO stands firm - at least as long as it is allowed to burn Korans in Sweden.
This was announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a speech to party colleagues in parliament on Wednesday.
Jan Hallenberg describes the current situation as "bizarre".
At the same time, the Turkish actions should be seen in the light of the country's election campaign, he believes.
- I think that Sweden has been involved too much in Turkish domestic politics.
The US can influence
Erdogan will continue to make demands, and the Swedish government does best to lie low and not comment on the outcome, Hallenberg believes.
At the same time, he believes that we in Sweden have tended to exaggerate the importance of Erdogan's "detailed statements".
- This is an international, multilateral, security policy process in which 30 states participate, he says of the ongoing NATO process.
Other members of the military alliance will also influence Turkey if they continue to block the entry of Sweden and Finland, according to Hallenberg.
- There is a state that Turkey depends on for its security and it is called the United States.
It will not only be kind words said from there to Turkey if they are not willing to agree to Sweden and Finland's NATO membership.