(MENAFN) According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Sweden's response to a Koran-burning protest that enraged Türkiye was "simply simple idiocy" and threatened a crucial endorsement required for the Nordic nation's application to join NATO. At a news conference on Tuesday in Budapest, where he was hosting his Turkish colleague, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the senior diplomat delivered his remarks to reporters.
The incident in issue was an act of Koranic burning during a political demonstration in Stockholm on January 21. Invoking the nation's rights for "far-reaching freedom of speech," Swedish authorities approved the event and offered police security.
“As a Christian and as a Catholic, I must say that burning of a holy book of another religion is an unacceptable act,” Szijjarto added. He also noted, “Stating that the burning of a sacred book is part of freedom of speech is just plain stupidity.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, declared last week that he would not be granting Sweden's request to join the US-led military alliance.
“If you are that respectful to rights and freedoms, you will respect the faith of the Republic of Türkiye or the Muslims in the first place. If you do not show this respect, then, no offense, but you will not receive any support from us with regard to NATO,” he stressed.
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