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Turkiye won't accept terror-supporting countries in NATO, insists Defence Ministry

June 9, 2022 at 9:06 am

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in Hatay, Turkiye on 8 May 2022 [Arif Akdoğan/Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye will never allow terrorism-backing countries to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Supporting a terrorist organisation that attacks an alliance member country is against the spirit of alliance. Those who give this support should not have a place in NATO,” a statement by the ministry said.

The ministry stressed that Turkiye has continued to successfully fulfill all the duties and missions it has undertaken since it joined NATO in 1952. “Turkiye will continue to be an active and constructive member of NATO. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will continue to contribute to world peace in many geographies from Libya to Kosovo, from Azerbaijan to Bosnia-Herzegovina, from Qatar to Somalia, within the scope of United Nations, NATO, European Union and OSCE missions and bilateral agreements,” the ministry said.

This comes as Sweden and Finland attempt to join NATO.

Ankara has, however, refused to approve their application claiming Sweden and Finland harbour people it says are linked to groups it deems terrorists, namely the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

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