WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) US State Department Spokesperson Ned price said during a press briefing that he does not mean to suggest that Russia may have been involved in a Quran burning in Sweden, following an earlier statement suggesting the incident may have been an attempt to halt the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.
On Saturday, Danish political figure Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran - considered a holy book by Muslims - in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. On Monday, Price said that the act may have been a deliberate attempt to undermine discussions between Turkey, Sweden and Finland on joining NATO.
"I wasn't attempting to suggest that," Price said on Tuesday, when asked whether he was implying Russia may be involved in the incident.
Price clarified that he was just suggesting that individuals participating in the Quran burning may in some cases not want to see Sweden join NATO.
The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the incident and urged authorities to take action against the "radicals" involved. Price said that although he and other Biden administration officials are not supportive of burning the Quran, it is a "lawful but awful" activity permitted in free democracies.
