Sweden's NATO Bid In Jeopardy After Quran Burning Outside Turkish Embassy

Sweden's bid to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was further jeopardised after a local politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Quran on Saturday (21 January) in front of Turkey's embassy in Stockholm.

Angered over the incident, Turkey announced that it had called off the visit by Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson scheduled on 27 January, to overcome Ankara's objections to Sweden's NATO bid. Ankara also summoned Sweden's ambassador to lodge its protest.

Sweden, which has constitutionally enshrined a commitment to absolute free speech, granted consent to Paludan to burn a copy of the Quran. Swedish police also authorised anti-Turkish demonstrations after determining it was protected by the country's liberal freedom of speech laws.

Last year, Paludan's announcement that he would embark on a Quran-burning tour during the month of Ramadan sparked widespread riots across Sweden.

The country's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, condemned the burning of the central religious text of Islam. "Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act," Kristersson said.

Kristersson's response was criticised by the leader of right-wing Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, who denounced Erdogan as an "Islamist dictator". He urged Kristersson not to indulge in appeasing Turkey "because it is ultimately an anti-democratic system and a dictator we are dealing with".

NATO Membership

Sweden and its neighbour Finland hope to join NATO, dropping decades of military non-alignment in response to the changed geopolitical situation due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Sweden's neutrality harks back to the end of the Napoleonic era when they began staying out of European wars.

During the tenure of Olof Palme, an influential Social Democratic prime minister assassinated in 1986, the country followed a foreign policy of equidistance from both United States and the Soviet Union.

In May 2022, Finland declared its intention of joining the NATO. Sweden followed suit. Finns and the Swedes co-ordinate their defence policies closely. There are historical reasons behind this.

After Finland's Winter War with Soviet Union (1939-40), the Finns had to sign a treaty of friendship with Moscow.

When NATO was formed in 1949, Sweden decided they would not join NATO, as they feared it would lead to the unintended consequence of Finland being forced to join the Warsaw Pact. The presence of a Warsaw Pact nation at its border would have put Sweden at risk.

Turkey's Opposition To Sweden's NATO Entry

While most NATO members have welcomed Sweden and Finland's entry into the fold, Turkish PM Recep Erdogan has voiced strident opposition to their membership. 

Turkey's ratification is a prerequisite for Sweden's entry into NATO.

Erdogan has accused Sweden of being "a complete hotbed of terrorism" for harbouring members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom he accuses of fomenting the failed coup of 2016.

In December, Sweden extradited a member of the PKK to Turkey. He had been convicted in a Turkish court and denied asylum in Sweden. But Erdogan is demanding the extradition of more Kurdish "terrorists" based in Sweden. He claims that there were as many as 130 of them in Sweden.

A consummate politician, Erdogan, who himself faces accusations of jailing thousands of Turkish citizens, could potentially see the diplomatic row as an opportunity to reassert his credentials as the new Caliph of Ummah. With a tottering economy, Erdogan is facing a tough re-election race later this year.

Also Read: Explained In Brief: Finland And Sweden Decide To Join NATO; Russia Threatens Retaliation