President Biden met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House Wednesday ahead of NATO’s annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week.

President Joe Biden: “Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger and has the same value set that we have in NATO. And I’m really looking — anxiously looking forward for your membership.”

Sweden’s bid to join NATO has been blocked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who accuses Sweden of harboring members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey. Turkey’s opposition to Sweden joining NATO is now facing a further challenge as protests have broken out in a number of Muslim countries after two men staged a demonstration in which they tore up and burned a Qur’an outside a Stockholm mosque last week. This is an Iranian protester speaking Monday in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran.

Mis Jabbari: “We declare that we are Muslims, and no country has the right to insult the Qur’an and cannot desecrate the Qur’an. And if they insult it, they will be given a strong response.” 
Pope Francis has also condemned the Qur’an burning.