Turkey's membership not in question, insists NATO

Turkey’s NATO membership is not in question, the alliance said in a statement on Tuesday. The international body stressed the mutual confidence between all members, Anadolu has reported.

The statement was made in response to speculative press reports regarding NATO’s stance on the foiled coup in Turkey, which left 240 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded.

“Turkey is a valued ally,” said the statement, “making substantial contributions to NATO’s joint efforts. NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO.” The organisation emphasised that Turkey takes a full part in the alliance’s consensus-based decisions. “Our alliance is committed to collective defence and founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, human rights and the rule of law.”

The statement pointed out that on the night of the coup attempt, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and later with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemning the attempted coup strongly and reiterating full support for Turkey’s democratic institutions.