“Swedish authorities cannot hide behind the excuses such as freedom of expression and assembly,” Altun said on Twitter.

Altun’s remarks came after Rasmus Paludan, a politician from the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burnt a copy of the Quran during the protest on Saturday outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

“The so-called protestors are nothing but provocateurs who are determined to sow seeds of hatred against Türkiye and Islam. The Swedish authorities must wake up to the reality of terror groups intent on preventing Sweden’s NATO membership by poisoning their relationship with us,” Altun said.

Altun emphasized that the so-called protest in front of the Turkish embassy in Sweden is clearly yet another example of the terror group PKK’s organized propaganda activities.

Altun went on to say: “Türkiye will continue to insist that our European and NATO allies must care about our national security and terror threats against our country. They cannot treat so-called “protests” like the one planned for today as part of freedom of assembly or freedom of speech.”

Altun called on Sweden to investigate the organizers of the event and find out their true connections and aims against Türkiye.

“If the Swedish authorities are serious about their national security and want to join NATO accordingly, they must also care about the security of their potential NATO allies like Türkiye. This is not too much to ask. Unless of course they truly do not care.”

“Türkiye has been dealing with the reality of terrorism for more than four decades. Europe has been a major breeding ground for terror activities against our country. This must stop if any of these countries want a genuine dialogue and productive relationship with us,” he added. (ILKHA)