Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the protest in Sweden where the holy book of Muslims, the Koran, was burned, hinting that the act will be another obstacle to the country's bid for NATO membership.
During an address to members of his Justice and Development Party, Erdogan equated "those who allowed the crime" with those who committed it.
"In the end, we will teach the Western monuments of arrogance that insulting the sacred values of Muslims is not freedom of thought," Erdogan said.
Swedish police have authorized a protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm, citing freedom of speech, after a court overturned an earlier police ban on a similar rally where the Koran was burned.
Erdogan hinted that Turkey is not ready to give up its objections to preventing Sweden from joining NATO.
"We will express our reaction in the strongest possible way until there is a joint effort in the fight against the enemies of Islam, as well as against terrorist organizations," Erdogan said.
Sweden applied to join NATO last year after Russia attacked Ukraine, but has faced a tough stance from Ankara, which accuses Swedish authorities of being too soft on anti-Islamic demonstrations and on organizations active in Turkey, which it considers terrorist.
Because of this, Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism laws, but Turkey complains that supporters of those organizations can still freely organize demonstrations, recruit members and legally acquire financial resources.
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