On Saturday, Turkey canceled a scheduled visit by Swedish Defense Minister Pall Johnson due to Stockholm’s license to organize a demonstration against Ankara. According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, his Swedish counterpart’s visit on January 27 “has lost its purpose.” The visit was aimed at trying to persuade Ankara to stop opposing Sweden’s accession to NATO. The license granted to right-wing Swedish-Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan to demonstrate on Saturday in front of the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital angered Ankara.
The Turkish government official added, “At this stage, the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pål Johnson to Turkey on January 27 has become meaningless. Therefore, we canceled the visit.” He added, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Defense: “It is unacceptable not to take a step or response in the face of these protests. The necessary measures should have been taken.”
It is noteworthy that Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador on Friday due to his country’s authorities’ statement regarding a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, including the burning of the Qur’an, scheduled to be held on Saturday.
