The Government of Kurdistan Region decided to suspend its diplomatic mission in Sweden after an Iraqi refugee burned Quran on Thursday. The foreign department of Kurdistan’s Regional government condemned the “sacrilege” of Quran, saying the act is against international norms and the 1961 Vienna Convention. The decision came hours after Iraqi government called its charge d’affaires home.
The Department “strongly condemns the disrespect that is done against the holy Quran for the second time in Sweden’s Stockholm,” according to a statement.
An anonymous source from KRG’s information and media office told Kurdaily that the decision was a protest over Sweden allowing Salwa Momika to carry out his Quran desecration.
Kurdaily has learned that Baghdad has urged The Kurdish authorities to follow Baghdad’s decision. As per the Iraqi constitution, the KRG must follow the federal government’s foreign policy.
Kurdistan Region has established its diplomatic mission in Sweden since 2011. While Sweden has an embassy in Erbil since 2012.
Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered the withdrawal of Iraq’s charge d’affaires from Stockholm and expelled Sweden’s ambassador.
In a protest against Swedish police, Protestors who are loyal to cleric Shitte Sadr stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday.
The Iraqi government had threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Sweden if the Quran burning on Thursday goes ahead.
Swedish foreign ministry condemned the burning of its embassy in Baghdad and said that It would summon Iraqi charge d’affaires.
The Swedish embassy staff had already left, before the attack, which is the second of its kind in less than a month.
In response to the attacks, Swedish authorities announced on Friday that the staff and operations of its embassy in Iraq had been relocated to Stockholm.
Salwan Momika is an Iraqi refugee who burned the Quran last month outside a mosque in Stockholm. He organized another event and burn the Quran again outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday.
The affair has also caused diplomatic tensions with several other Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia and Iran both summoned the Swedish ambassadors to lodge protests.
Momika said on a video that He burned Holy book of Muslims to prove that Sweden has freedom of speech.
