Sweden to pay close attention to ties with Muslim nations: FM
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Billstrom says Sweden will host discussions and dialogues in connection with the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
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Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom during an interview for AP at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday, October 24, 2022 (AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom expressed Saturday that he would give special attention to ties with Muslim nations during a meeting with ambassadors from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member nations.
Billstrom was quoted in the governing statement as saying that he would "devote a substantial part of this term to strengthening relations with Muslim countries. I intend to travel to OIC countries, and Sweden will host discussions and dialogues in connection with the UN General Assembly in New York in September."
The Foreign Minister believed the meeting to be a good opportunity to "explain and clarify our approach and to outline the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Swedish constitution."
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on July 30 that Sweden was experiencing its most dangerous security crisis since World War II, in response to multiple Quran-burning events that garnered harsh criticism from Muslim nations.
Read more: Nasrallah: Islamic govs stance on Quran burning is disappointing
On July 31, Swedish police granted a permit for a protest outside the Swedish parliament in which the organizers planned to burn the Quran, sparking diplomatic tensions and concerns over security.
The organizers of the protest expressed their desire to see the Muslim holy book banned in Sweden. One of the leading organizers, Salwan Najem, vowed to burn it repeatedly until the ban was implemented.
Several Muslim countries have protested the burning of the Quran, and the Iraqi government on July 20 expelled Sweden's ambassador to the country and severed its ties with Stockholm in response to the repeated Quran burnings in Sweden, which were permitted by the Swedish government.
In response to the Quran desecration, Danish and Swedish envoys were summoned from Middle Eastern nations. Reactions across the Middle East continue to inflate and spread as European nations not only continue to protect suspects but continue to sleep on taking any action to prosecute them.
