CAIRO, July 24. /TASS/. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned repeated acts of Quran burning in front of the country’s embassy in Denmark, calling on European countries to develop a common position to prevent such acts.

"The Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the repeated acts of burning a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Denmark," the Iraqi News Agency quoted the ministry’s statement. The Iraqi diplomats called on the authorities of "European countries to reconsider what is called freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate and to develop a clear collective position to prevent these actions in front of the embassies of the Republic of Iraq in their countries."

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also reiterated the government's call for "the adoption of international resolutions that criminalize such acts."

Earlier on Monday, a small group of protesters burned a Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. The action was carried out by the right-wing group Danish Patriots, Reuters reported. They also burned the Muslim holy book at the same location on July 21.

Commitment to Vienna Convention

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani held a meeting on Monday with ambassadors and senior representatives of European diplomatic missions working in the country and "a number of friendly countries." Al-Sudani "reaffirmed his government's responsibility to protect and ensure the security of all diplomatic missions accredited to Baghdad," the prime minister's office said. "Iraq is committed to this in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Convention," the prime minister pointed out.

He also affirmed that the Iraqi government "continues to encourage the work of foreign companies in Iraq and is committed to economic agreements and partnerships with countries around the world."

At the same time, the Prime Minister "stressed the need to reject the incitement of hatred expressed in the actions of burning the Quran and the Iraqi flag" and called on "the EU countries to play their role in combating these extremist acts."

Quran burning rallies

The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square on June 28. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set it on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays. This act triggered a strong negative reaction from the population and authorities of Islamic countries, especially Arab countries. In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia deeply respects the Quran and religious beliefs of Muslims, and noted that disrespect for this holy book is a crime in the Russian Federation.

On July 19, Swedish authorities gave permission for a similar action to be held in Stockholm on July 20. This time Momika intended to burn a copy of the Quran and the Iraqi national flag. As a TASS correspondent reported, the immigrant kicked the holy book, but did not burn it. On Thursday night, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was attacked by protesters unhappy with Stockholm's decision to allow the new action. The Iraqi government later decided to expel the country’s ambassador.