July 15 conference canceled in Sweden
A conference on the failed July 15 coup that was to be organized by the Union of European Turkish Democrats in Sweden was canceled on Oct. 14, allegedly due to pressure by an alderman.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had a phone conversation with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström over the incident and conveyed his unease on Oct. 14.
Çavuşoğlu reacted to the decision on his official Twitter account, saying, "It's a double standard and discrepancy that Sweden cancels the July 15 conference, while giving others lessons on democracy and freedom of media."
The chair of the host school for the conference announced the cancelation a couple hours before the event, a Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The chair told union representatives that he was under pressure by an alderman who threatened to fire him.
The alderman, named Bo Anderson, is from the same party as the Swedish foreign minister, according to the official.
The July 15 conference is now scheduled to go ahead on Oct. 15 in a city square instead of a school.
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