USA: Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said that Sweden's response to a Koran-burning protest that incensed Türkiye was "just plain stupidity," endangering a crucial approval needed for the Nordic country's application to join NATO. In Budapest on Tuesday, where he was hosting his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the top diplomat addressed the media during a press conference.

At a political rally in Stockholm on January 21, a Koran was set on fire as a publicity stunt. Using the country's protections for "far-reaching freedom of expression," Swedish authorities approved the event and provided police protection.

Szijjarto declared, "I must say that burning a holy book of another religion is an unacceptable act. I am a Christian and a Catholic." Declaring that the destruction of a holy book is compatible with free speech is simply stupid, he continued.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, declared last week that he would not be approving Sweden's request to join the US-led military alliance.

"If you are that respectful of rights and liberties, then you should be respectful of the Muslims or the Republic of Turkey's faith as well. No offence meant, but you won't get any of our support for NATO if you don't demonstrate this respect, he insisted.

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Sweden and NATO submitted applications to join the Western military alliance last year, citing concerns about security brought on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. NATO's 30 members must agree in order to grow the organisation. Erdogan said the Koran-burning incident violated a deal made last June to address Ankara's security concerns. Erdogan had previously demanded that Sweden and Finland stop supporting Kurdish groups that Turkish officials consider to be terrorists.

Only one other NATO member, Hungary, has not yet formally approved the applications from the Nordic nations. By the end of last month, Budapest was supposed to vote on the alliance's proposed expansion. In February of 2023, during the first session of the parliament, the issue will be discussed, according to Szijjarto.

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Szijjarto stated that Hungary won't make an effort to sway Türkiye's choice. He added that "perhaps they [Sweden] should act differently than that" if they want to win Ankara's support. "I never urge any other foreign governments to do things which are not of our concern," he said.