Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan delivers a speech during a handover ceremony in Ankara on June 5, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

ANKARA - Türkiye on Wednesday condemned the burning of the Muslim holy book Quran in Sweden on the first day of Eid al-Adha, Islam's major religious festival.

"I condemn the vile action in Sweden against our holy book, Quran, on the first day of the Eid al-Adha," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan wrote on Twitter.

Burning of a copy of the Quran came at a time when Sweden was seeking Türkiye's backing to join NATO. The bid has still been blocked by the Turkish government, which accuses Sweden of supporting anti-Türkiye groups

"It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Muslim actions under the pretext of freedom of expression," he said.

"To turn a blind eye to such atrocious acts is to be a partner in crime," he added.

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In the Swedish capital Stockholm, a person identified as Salwan Momika of Iraqi origin, burned the Quran under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque on Wednesday, according to Turkish media reports.

Momika, who came in front of the Stockholm Mosque in the Medbargareplatsen square, threw the Quran on the ground in front of the mosque, stepped on it, uttered insulting words against Islam and set it on fire despite the reaction of the people around, said the media reports.

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Wednesday's burning of a copy of the Quran came at a time when Sweden was seeking Türkiye's backing to join NATO.

The bid has still been blocked by the Turkish government, which accuses Sweden of supporting anti-Türkiye groups.

The Nordic state has pledged to support Türkiye's fight against terrorism and agreed to address Ankara's pending deportation or extradition requests for "terror" suspects. But the Turkish parliament has not ratified their membership yet.