Deputy spokesperson for the State Department, Vedant Patel, stated that the United States considers the burning of religious texts disrespectful and harmful, RIA News reports.
He commented on the burning of the Quran in Sweden and emphasized that it does not affect Washington's position on the country's prompt accession to NATO.
Earlier, with reference to local law enforcement agencies, the French Press agency reported that the Swedish police allowed a protest action involving the burning of the Quran near the main mosque in Stockholm on the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that the police decision was "legal but inappropriate."
"Burning and defaming religious texts can be deeply disrespectful and harmful," he said at a briefing, commenting on the Quran burning in Sweden.
Patel added that actions that may be legal "do not necessarily have to be appropriate," and clarified that, in Washington's opinion, Sweden shares NATO's values, and the United States continues to believe that the European country should become a member of the alliance as soon as possible.
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