Istanbul, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: It is not possible to accept Sweden’s failure to take the necessary measures regarding provocations targeting Turkey and the Holy Quran.
Akar confirmed in a speech today, Monday, during a meeting with the leaders of the Turkish forces, in which he commented on the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO that Turkey supports the principle of NATO expansion, indicating that Ankara is not an enemy of Sweden and Finland and does not oppose their joining the Alliance.
He added, “Just as Sweden and Finland want to join NATO in order to provide their security, Turkey also wants to cooperate with it in order to combat terrorism.”
He also said: “They want us to support them for their security, but they refuse to cooperate with us in order to combat terrorism, and we cannot accept insults to our President, our Quran and our flag inside Swedish territory.”
The Turkish Minister called on Sweden and Finland to carry out their responsibilities and abide by the commitments mentioned in the tripartite memorandum concluded on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid last summer.
On the fight against terrorism, Akar announced that his country’s forces managed to kill 134 Kurdish militants this month, stressing that Turkey respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries, and that its military operations in Syria and northern Iraq target terrorists only.
He stressed that Turkey will not remain idle in the face of attacks that affect its security and the security of its citizens.
Regarding the talks with the Syrian side, Akar said: “Moscow hosted a tripartite meeting some time ago among the Defense Ministers of Turkey, Russia and Syria. In that meeting, we affirmed our determination to combat terrorism, and we will not take any decision that would harm the Syrian brothers residing in Turkey or inside Syria.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency