Turkey says Quran burning in Sweden raises questions about its reliability as a possible NATO member

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister says Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in the country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership. But Hakan Fidan said Turkey would approve Sweden’s membership in the military alliance if Stockholm “completes its homework” and presses ahead with efforts to address Turkey’s concerns. Sweden and Finland abandoned their decades-long neutrality and applied to join the military alliance last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has been holding off on ratifying Sweden’s membership in the alliance, accusing it of being too soft toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security.