Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has appealed for western support in fighting three different “terror” organisations.
Speaking in London yesterday at Chatham House, Kurtulmus called Turkey an “island of stability” in a turbulent region but faced threats from Daesh, the Kurdish PKK militant group and by followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding a failed coup on 15 July.
“We are at war with terrorist organisations, we need the support of Western organisations,” Kurtulmus said.
Gulen has denied the accusation and condemned the coup. However security concerns and a wide-ranging crackdown on alleged Gulen followers in the civil service and army are seen as hurting Turkey’s economy.
The coup and its aftermath have also soured Turkey’s ties with the West, and European Union lawmakers voted this week for an “advisory” temporary halt to EU membership talks with Turkey because of Ankara’s “disproportionate” reaction to July’s failed coup.
Turkish policymakers have said the move will prove more harmful for Europe as it could open the doors to a flood of refugees.
But Kurtulmus said Ankara was not changing its foreign policy axis away from the West.
“Turkey has one axis and that is its own axis,” he said. “Turkey will continue to diversify its multi-lateral foreign policy and evaluate it in line with its national interest.”