CHP leader slams Swedish authorities over Quran burning

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) has harshly slammed Swedish authorities for allowing and just watching the burning of Quran by an ultra-right wing politician in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

"I should declare with sorrow that the Swedish administration lacking a wisdom of state has just watched the incident. They have openly allowed this play," Kılıçdaroğlu said in his address to his parliamentary group on Jan. 24 in Ankara.

He referred to the Swedish government's issuance of permission to the politician for burning the Quran in line with the country's principle of freedom of expression. Türkiye has harshly condemned the move and summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara. It also cancelled a visit by the Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to the Turkish capital where he would discuss the Nordic state's bid to join NATO.

Türkiye and Hungary are the two NATO members who have not yet ratified Sweden and Finland's accession to the alliance.

Describing the incident as disgusting and a provocation, the CHP slammed the Danish politician as a clown. "There is no need to have a high intelligence level to see the real purpose of this incident: To provoke and to ruin the Turkish-Swedish relationship," he said.

"He [the perpetrator] is such a degraded man that we feel nothing but disgust for him," the CHP leader said, referring to Rasmus Paludan.

Kılıçdaroğlu reiterated that they have respect of all the faiths as it is one of the requirements of being human.