The burning of the Koran, just outside the capital Stockholm, took place with the approval of the Swedish government. The man had a permit to demonstrate. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental principle in Europe and certainly also in Sweden,” says European journalist Stefan de Vries. “But that doesn’t mean that the Swedes are also behind the fire.”
Swedish division
Sweden wants to join NATO quickly, but also doesn’t want to bump into Turkey too often. In this respect, the Scandinavian country is in a quandary. ‘Sweden has met Turkey on many points, especially regarding the terrorists who, according to Turkey, live in Sweden. But Turkey still does not accept membership,’ underlined De Vries.
“Stoltenberg is quite popular”
Accession is on the agenda of the NATO summit in Vilnius (11 July). The question is whether membership will become a fact, says De Vries. The burning of the Koran can once again put a spoke in the works. The Turkish foreign minister calls the protest action a serious crime. “Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, will be talking to Turkey, Sweden and Finland next week to eliminate Turkish objections to Sweden joining NATO,” says De Vries.
Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg himself is expected to remain the supreme leader of the alliance for another year. That decision will likely be officially announced next week.
According to De Vries, it is not only difficult to find a successor for the Norwegian. ‘It is not convenient to change the NATO secretary general in the middle of a war. Furthermore, Stoltenberg is quite popular,’ says De Vries. “He is highly regarded by all members.” Stoltenberg has headed NATO since 2014.