Turkey said on Monday it has summoned Sweden's envoy in an escalating row after Stockholm accused Ankara of legalising sex with children. The dispute is the latest in several spats highlighting rising tensions between Turkey and EU states in the wake of the botched July 15 coup followed by a relentless crackdown that angered Europe.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom had tweeted on her official account that the "Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed", following a controversial ruling by the Turkish constitutional court. "It is a scandal for a foreign minister to post such a tweet based on false news or speculation," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in televised comments, adding that the Swedish ambassador to Ankara had been summoned to his ministry.
The Swedish foreign ministry added it was charge d'affaires who was summoned by Ankara, as the ambassador was still on vacation. Cavusoglu blasted the "unacceptable" tweet, saying Wallstrom should have acted "responsibly". "A foreign minister should not tell lies and should not adopt an approach accusing Turkey," Cavusoglu said. "Yes to criticism but this is a slander, a lie."
Turkey's constitutional court in July annulled a criminal code provision punishing as "sexual abuse" all sexual acts involving children under the age of 15, responding to a petition brought by a lower court. The top court has given a six-month period for parliament to draw up a new law based on its ruling.