Ankara Not Discussing Turkey’s Withdrawal From NATO: Ruling Party
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/ Go to the mediabankInternationalIndiaAfricaISTANBUL (Sputnik) – Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO is not currently under consideration, Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, said on Wednesday. “The words of those who talk about the withdrawal of Turkey from NATO are extremely surprising. There is no question of this. We are one of the countries that founded NATO. These people have no right to say such things,” Celik told Turkish media.Previously the Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Homeland Party stated that the country will exit NATO in five-to-six months. He pointed out that the latest polls indicate that 80% of the population believes the US to be hostile towards Turkey.
WorldTurkey-Sweden-Finland Talks on NATO Accession Postponed Indefinitely at Ankara’s RequestYesterday, 14:58 GMTThe developments come amid a major rift between Ankara and the alliance over Sweden’s NATO accession. On Tuesday it was reported that trilateral talks between Turkey, Sweden and Finland on NATO membership have been postponed indefinitely at Ankara’s request. On Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Danish political party Stram Kurs, burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm after receiving permission from the authorities. The burning of the Quran was condemned by many countries, including Turkey. The same day the Turkish foreign ministry said that Paludan’s action was a clear violation of Sweden’s obligations under a tripartite memorandum it signed with Turkey and Finland to mend disagreements for NATO membership, specifically its clause on preventing the propaganda of terrorist organizations. In addition, Turkey unilaterally canceled the upcoming visit of the Swedish defense minister to Ankara, where he was expected to discuss Stockholm’s application for NATO membership.On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden should not expect Turkish support for its bid to join NATO after such anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic actions.
