NATO Deputy Secretary General, Swedish Defense Minister To Meet Amid Quran Burning Scandal

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana will receive Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, according to a press release by the bloc

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2023) NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana will receive Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, according to a press release by the bloc.

No details regarding the meeting's agenda have been given, with no press conference scheduled to take place following the meeting.

The talks will come as Turkey is expected to block Sweden's NATO membership bid after a controversial demonstration involving the burning of a Quran in Stockholm.

On Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of far-right Danish political party Stram Kurs, burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm after receiving permission from the authorities. The burning of the Quran was condemned by many countries, including Turkey, whose foreign ministry called it a "vile attack" on the holy book and "another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe.

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On Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry said that Paludan's action was a clear violation of Sweden's obligations under a tripartite memorandum it signed with Turkey and Finland to mend disagreements for NATO membership, specifically its clause on preventing the propaganda of terrorist organizations. In addition, Turkey unilaterally canceled the upcoming visit of the Swedish defense minister to Ankara, where he was expected to discuss Stockholm's application for NATO membership.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden should not expect Turkish support for its bid to join NATO after such anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic actions.