Finland and Sweden are ready to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, United States Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Price noted that burning holy books is a «deeply disrespectful act» and that burning the Quran during protests in Stockholm was not «necessarily appropriate.» Those behind the incident could be trying to damage the unity within NATO, Price alleged. Nevertheless, the two Nordic countries need to reach a consensus with Turkey on joining NATO, the US official noted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in the day that Ankara will not allow Sweden to become a new member of the military alliance due to the aforementioned incident.