Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden on Monday that it should not expect his backing to join NATO following the burning of the Koran outside Ankara's embassy in Stockholm.

Erdogan's furious comments further distanced the prospects of Sweden and Finland joining the Western defence alliance before Turkey's presidential and parliamentary polls in May.

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members not to have ratified the Nordic neighbours' historic decision to break their tradition of military non-alignment in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has promised that his parliament would approve the two bids next month.

But Erdogan has dug in his heels heading into a close election in which he is trying to energise his nationalist electoral base.

"Sweden should not expect support from us for NATO," Erdogan said in his first official response to the act by an anti-Islam politician during a protest on Saturday that was approved by the Swedish police despite Turkey's objections.

"It is clear that those who caused such a disgrace in front of our country's embassy can no longer expect any benevolence from us regarding their application for NATO membership," Erdogan said.

Sweden reacted with extreme caution to Erdogan's remarks.

"I cannot comment on the statement tonight. First, I want to understand exactly what was said," Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Sweden's TT news agency.

- Cancelled visits -

Swedish leaders roundly condemned far-right politician Rasmus Paludan's actions but defended their country's broad definition of free speech.

"I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm today," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted on Saturday.

Erdogan has already set out a series of tough conditions that include a demand for Sweden to extradite dozens of mostly Kurdish suspects that Ankara either accuses of "terrorism" or of involvement in a failed 2016 coup.

Sweden's courtship of Turkey appeared to be making headway with a flurry of visits by top ministers to Ankara.

Stockholm has also enacted a constitutional amendment that will make it possible to pass tougher anti-terror laws demanded by Ankara.

But things turned sour when a small Kurdish group hung an effigy of Erdogan outside Stockholm's city hall earlier this month.

Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador and revoked an invitation for its parliament speaker to visit Ankara.

The Swedish police decision to approve Paludan's protests drew a similar response.

Turkey summoned Stockholm's ambassador for another dressing down and cancelled a planned visit by Sweden's defence minister.

Erdogan said the burning of the Muslim holy book was a hate crime that could not be defended by free speech.

"No one has the right to humiliate the saints," he said in nationally televised remarks.

"When we say something, we say it honestly, and when someone dishonours us, we put them in their place."

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, condemned Erdogan's position on Sweden.

In an interview with German title Die Welt, he said that "freedom of expression, freedom of opinion is a precious commodity, in Sweden and in all other NATO countries. And that is why these inappropriate acts are not automatically illegal."

Stoltenberg, who last spring was talking of a fast-track membership process of just a few weeks, added in the interview that the Swedish government had condemned the demonstration "in very clear terms".

US says 'repugnant' Sweden Koran burning could be sabotage
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2023 - The United States said Monday that a far-right activist's "repugnant" burning of the Koran may have been sabotage against unity in NATO, with Turkey again denouncing Sweden's membership bid.

Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan on Saturday torched the Islamic holy book in front of Ankara's embassy in Stockholm just as Turkey holds up Sweden's application to enter the transatlantic alliance.

"Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"It's repugnant," he said, also calling the incident "disgusting" and "vile."

Price said the burning was the work of "a provocateur" who "may have deliberately sought to put distance between two close partners of ours -- Turkey and Sweden."

He "may have deliberately sought to have an impact on the ongoing discussion regarding the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO," Price said.

Price defended the stance of Sweden, saying that it upholds "freedom of association" and that an act "can be lawful and awful at the same time."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has Islamist political roots, voiced fury over the incident including Sweden's permission for the rally to take place.

Erdogan said that Sweden should not expect support on joining NATO, after he earlier demanded that Stockholm take action on Kurdish militants which Turkey considers terrorists.

Sweden and Finland last year applied to enter the Western alliance, shedding earlier reluctance to annoy Russia after their giant neighbor invaded Ukraine, which had unsuccessfully sought to enter NATO.

Under the rules of the alliance, all members must approve new members. Only Turkey and Hungary have not given their green light, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban promising that parliament will do so next month.

Iraqis injured in anti-Sweden protest after Koran burning
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 23, 2023 - An Iraqi policeman and seven protesters were injured Monday during a rally outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad against the burning of a Koran in Stockholm, a security source said.

Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan on Saturday set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book in front of Turkey's embassy in the Swedish capital.

Iraqi police on Monday confronted more than 400 protesters outside the embassy when they came too close to the building, an Iraqi interior ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to reporters.

During the rally, which was organised by pro-Iran groups, protesters chanted, "No to Sweden, yes to the Koran". As police pushed the demonstrators back, violence erupted.

"Protesters threw stones and the police used their truncheons," the interior ministry official said, adding that seven protesters and a policeman were injured.

The protesters then scattered, an AFP photographer said.

Many Muslim countries have said they were outraged by the burning of the Koran, which Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned as "deeply disrespectful".

Paludan's actions in Stockholm have raised tensions with Turkey as Sweden courts Ankara over its bid to join NATO.

In neighbouring Syria, in the northern town of Al-Bab, which is under the control of Turkish soldiers, a few hundred people also demonstrated on Monday for the same reason, torching the Swedish flag and chanting anti-Swedish slogans.

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Sweden's NATO bid hit by repeated rows with Turkey
Stockholm (AFP) Jan 22, 2023
Sweden's bid for NATO membership is facing a dead end because Ankara's demands to Stockholm to hand over Kurdish activists and prevent rallies attacking Turkey's leadership have strained ties. The chances of this changing after Turkey's parliamentary elections due in mid-May are uncertain, said Paul Levin, director of Stockholm University's Institute for Turkish Studies. "We can now probably forget Turkish ratification before the elections, which seem to be scheduled for May 14," Levin told AFP. ... read more