A far-right Swedish politician’s resolution to burn the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy may be just one component of a plot to undermine Sweden’s bid for NATO, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s team.
“There is, of course, a concern that provocateurs, those who may not need Sweden to join NATO, will have interaction in some of those activities,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday.
The choreographed burning of the Koran came at an unfortunate time for Sweden, which is in the midst of a diplomatic scramble to get Turkey’s approval to join NATO along with Finland. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited the incident as a new justification for blocking Sweden’s admission to the alliance, forcing Swedish officials to fight to appease a leader who wields diplomatic influence in opposition to Stockholm.
“Our collective message is that we must call for calm, reflection, calm in procedure so that we can resume functional talks between Sweden, Finland and Turkey on our joint membership in NATO,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday. “The national security factor is nothing more than the fact that we, in combination with Finland, are temporary members of NATO. “
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Turkish officials canceled a trilateral assembly with Finland and Sweden that was scheduled to take position in February.
“It is evident that those who allowed such a scandal in front of our country’s embassy can no longer expect any favors from us in connection with their application for NATO membership,” Erdogan said on Monday. Turning a blind eye to this deviant act under the cover of his own security forces and police, he had suffered the consequences. “
Erdogan, as head of a NATO member, has the strength to veto Sweden’s access to the transatlantic alliance, a bloc that operates by unanimous consent. Sweden and Finland have agreed to a series of concessions aimed at appeasing the Turkish president, but Erdogan’s accusation that they harbor terrorists has led to an impasse over extradition requests that have been legally accepted in Sweden.
“Turkey designates other people it would like to extradite from Sweden, and it is well known that Swedish law on this issue. . . It’s very clear: for the courts [to] make those decisions, there’s no room to replace that. “said the Swedish prime minister. said last week.
The latest controversy prompted Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto to recommend Tuesday morning that his government would likely have to “assess the situation” and enroll in NATO without Sweden. Both governments have tried to avoid that prospect, in part because of centuries of diplomatic alignment. among their capitals, and Haavisto made it clear that they still prefer to sign for Sweden.
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Blinken’s team is rushing to close ranks with Sweden. “It’s been a discussion about Finland and Sweden, two countries, going from an alliance of 28 to an alliance of 30. That’s what we need to happen,” Price said.