NATO drill incident biggest scandal: Turkish deputy PM

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's deputy prime minister on Monday called last week's drill incident in Norway "one of the biggest scandals in NATO's history".

Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara, Bekir Bozdag said: "This is one of the biggest scandals in NATO's history. We state clearly that this incident should not be swept under the rug."

Turkey withdrew from NATO's Trident Javelin exercise in Norway on Friday after a civilian Norwegian official depicted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an "enemy collaborator".

A portrait of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was also shown in the "hostile leader list" during a computer-assisted exercise.

Following the incident, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg apologized to Turkey in a written statement and in person to the Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar during a meeting in Canada.