Finland and Sweden's negotiations with Turkey on NATO membership need a pause, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said.
On Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Hard Course, burned a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, having previously obtained permission from Swedish authorities to hold the action. These actions have been condemned by many countries. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan previously said that after the Quran burning, Sweden should not expect Turkish support for its NATO bid.
There should be a pause in the negotiations. It is better to continue after the atmosphere calms down, Haavisto noted.
Finland and Sweden submitted a joint application to join the North Atlantic Alliance in May 2022, which has been ratified by 28 countries out of 30 except Hungary and Turkey.
