Why did the German Defense Minister suddenly cancel his trip to Iraq and Jordan?

On July 23, a German Defense Ministry spokesman announced that Defense Minister Vladimir Pistorius had canceled a trip to Iraq and Jordan due to security concerns, after the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad was set on fire last week during a protest against the burning of the Koran.

German Defense Minister Vladimir Pistorius. (Source: Reuters)

According to this person, German security forces have recommended canceling Minister Pistorius' trip amid the risk of further protests in the coming days, but the trip will still take place at another time, possibly in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The spokesman also said the cancellation of Minister Pistorius's trip, which was scheduled to last several days, was also in response to violent protests against a Danish non -governmental organization in Iraq.

Earlier, on July 22, hundreds of protesters in Iraq attempted to storm the heavily guarded Green Zone in the capital Baghdad, where government agencies and many foreign embassies are located, after a far-right group in Denmark posted a video of burning the Koran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in the capital Copenhagen.

In a statement, Copenhagen Deputy Police Chief Trine Fisker said only a small number of protesters gathered in front of the Iraqi Embassy on June 21 and the area was "quite peaceful".

She confirmed that "a book was burned, but it is not yet clear what book it is."

On July 22, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the act of "desecration of the Koran and the Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Denmark".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vi-sao-bo-truong-quoc-phong-duc-bat-ngo-huy-chuyen-cong-du-iraq-va-jordan-235699.html