Turkey cancels Swedish defence minister visit after protest permit

FILE PHOTO: Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson looks on, as he visits soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are taking part in the UK-led basic training programme, on a military training camp, in an unspecified location in the North East of England, Britain, November 9, 2022. Andy Commins/Pool via REUTERS

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that a planned visit by his Swedish counterpart to Ankara has been cancelled after Swedish authorities granted permission for protests in Stockholm.

"At this point, the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to Turkey on January 27 has become meaningless. So we cancelled the visit," Akar said.