Turkiye confirms it would not acquiesce to pressures on Sweden's accession to NATO

Ankara: Turkiye asserted on Tuesday that it would not acquiesce to pressures that support Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), pointing out that it is still evaluating whether this accession would benefit NATO or not.

"The fact that the Swedish security system is incapable of preventing provocations and is presenting an image of a country that brings problems to NATO instead of more power is making us think in terms of the strategic and security aspects" said Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"When it comes to Swedens membership in NATO, whether it will become a burden or a benefit has become more open to debate," he added.

Fidan's statements come ahead of his meeting with Swedish counterpart in Brussels to discuss Sweden's quest for joining NATO in a time western officials hope that Sweden would join NATO by the NATO summit scheduled to take place on July 11-12, 2023, in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania.

However, the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm last Wednesday infuriated the Islamic world as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized Sweden.