ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has begun severing ties with Sweden, expelling the Swedish ambassador and recalling its charge d’affaires in Stockholm after Swedish authorities gave the green light for the burning of the Quran and the Iraqi flag outside Baghdad’s embassy in Stockholm, the Iraqi prime minister’s office announced on Thursday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani warned Sweden earlier in the day that Baghdad would sever diplomatic relations with Stockholm if it allowed another Quran burning protest.
After Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee, went ahead with his protest, stomping on the Islamic holy book and the Iraqi flag on Thursday afternoon, Sudani “directed the ministry of foreign affairs to withdraw the Iraqi charge d’affaires from the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Stockholm. He also directed a request to the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad to leave Iraqi territory in response to the repeated permission of the Swedish government to burn the holy Quran, insulting Islamic sanctities, and burning the Iraqi flag,” a statement from his office said.
An AFP reporter at the scene said that Momika stomped on the Quran, but left without burning it.
Tensions between Baghdad and Stockholm are high after protestors linked to Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in the early hours of Thursday, angry that Swedish police had approved the Quran burning protest.
Sweden said the torching of its embassy was “completely unacceptable” and that it will summon the Iraqi charge d’affaires in Stockholm over the matter.
“The government is in contact with high-level Iraqi representatives to express our dismay. Iraq’s charge d’affaires in Stockholm will be summoned to the ministry of foreign affairs for this purpose,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said, adding that Iraq has “seriously failed” to abide by the Vienna Convention and protect diplomatic missions.
Following the decision to begin severing diplomatic ties, Iraq’s Media and Communications Commission suspended the license of the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson, state media reported.
Earlier in the day, Iraqi foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf told Rudaw that Baghdad was “worried” about the attack on the embassy and has given guarantees of security to embassy staff, while calling on protestors to exercise restraint and avoid damaging properties.
The ministry also said it condemned the attack and has launched an “urgent investigation” to hold the perpetrators to account.
Last month, Sadr called for demonstrations outside the Swedish embassy after Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque. The following day, the Swedish embassy was stormed by protesters.
Baghdad is seeking the extradition of Momika so that he can face trial in Iraq over his protests.