New Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stands during a press conference where Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced the new cabinet, in Ankara, Turkey June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday urged Denmark to take urgent action to prevent burnings of the Koran, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
In a phone call with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Fidan condemned the "continuous vile attacks against the Koran". He told Rasmussen it was unacceptable to allow such actions under the guise of freedom of expression, the source said.
Rasmussen on Saturday wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Turkey and Denmark are close allies. Important to not let these acts succeed in creating division." He also reiterated Denmark's "strong condemnation of these provocative acts by few individuals."
The comments came after a small group of anti-Islam activists set fire to Korans in front of the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen on Tuesday, after similar protests in Denmark and Sweden over recent weeks.
Denmark and Sweden have deplored the burning of Islam's holy book but say they cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.
(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Additional reporting by Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen; Editing by Angus MacSwan and David Holmes)
