Türkiye reiterates NATO members should work in harmony to combat terrorism

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - NATO members should work in harmony to combat terrorism, Türkiye’s communications director said on Thursday.

Türkiye wants to see concrete and permanent steps to be taken to prevent activities of terrorist groups which threaten its statehood and citizens, Fahrettin Altun said in the interview with the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat.

On the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden, he said: "It is our most fundamental right to expect the countries that we would pledge to assist in times of war not to support or tolerate organizations targeting our nationals."

Turkish people no longer value words, but deeds, he said.

"For instance, we obtained a written assurance on Cyprus from Finland, the European Union's term president at the 1999 Helsinki European Council. And then, EU authorities stated that if Greek Cypriots did not agree to the Annan Peace Plan (in 2004), they could not become an EU member. However, all this was forgotten. The current situation is evident," Altun exampled.

NATO membership is a privilege, not a right, he said, adding: "The current problem is not because Türkiye does not comprehend Finland, but rather because Finland does not take Türkiye's security concerns seriously."

He also addressed the tolerated presence and operations of the PKK terror group and Fetullah Terrorrist Organization (FETO) in Finland, saying the Baltic country should decide whether protecting terror groups is more important than NATO membership.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups such as the PKK and FETO. The accession requires unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member states.

In late May, Türkiye hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations on their NATO applications in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the meetings had not been "at the desired level."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.