Türkiye Urges Denmark to Take Urgent Action to Prevent Quran Burnings

 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Ankara on July 29, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Ankara on July 29, 2023. (AFP)
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Türkiye Urges Denmark to Take Urgent Action to Prevent Quran Burnings

 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Ankara on July 29, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Ankara on July 29, 2023. (AFP)

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday urged Denmark to take urgent action to prevent burnings of the holy Quran, 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 Quran".

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: " Türkiye 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 Qurans 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.



American Imprisoned in Russia Sentenced to New 15-year Jail Term for Espionage

Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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American Imprisoned in Russia Sentenced to New 15-year Jail Term for Espionage

Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Pedestrians pass by the Bolshoi Theater decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A Russian-born US citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.
A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Gene Spector in August 2023, although details surrounding the case were not made public, The Associated Press reported.
Spector, formerly an executive at a medical equipment company in Russia, was previously sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in September 2022 for enabling bribes to an aide of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. The aide, Anastasia Alekseyeva, was sentenced to 12 years in April for taking bribes of two expensive overseas vacation trips.
Dvorkovich was a deputy prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev in 2012-2018. He is currently head of the international chess federation FIDE.