Turkey: We received no due support from NATO allies

Turkey has not received due support from its NATO allies against threats to its international security, Turkey's communications director said.

"We expect the same kind of commitment to Turkey's national security from our allies, to whose national security we are firmly committed," Fahrettin Altun said, addressing a panel titled NATO 2030: United for a New Era on the 69th anniversary of Turkey's NATO membership.

Altun also called on NATO allies to stand with Turkey against acts of terrorism and to take necessary steps to neutralise threats that Turkey faces, saying: "In response to asymmetrical threats, starting with terrorism, NATO is compelled to act more decisively, more effectively, and more proactively."

Instead, Turkey is exposed to "unjust, unlawful, punitive measures against its legitimate attempt to stay safe," he added.

Turkey is against any steps in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean weakening NATO’s southern flank, Altun said, stating: "In Syria and Iraq, we strongly oppose the efforts of arming and supporting terrorist entities in the name of fighting terrorism."

"Let me stress that the consistent anti-Turkish stance of the United States, our so-called ally, when it comes to our fight against terrorist entities like PKK/YPG and FETO, is extremely hurtful," Altun said.

Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and 2,734 injured.


In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian branch.

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Security concerns of allies

Turkey's permanent representative to NATO said allies should handle the differences of opinion and respect each others' security concerns.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the 69th anniversary of Turkey’s NATO membership, Basat Ozturk said Turkey has been a valuable and important country for the alliance, adding: “Although we have different opinions with some allies, in the end, NATO is a platform to address these differences.”

NATO should be the main consultation platform on all matters concerning the security and defense issues of all allies as also required by the Washington Agreement, Ozturk said, noting that Stoltenberg's vision for 2030 also strengthens this role of NATO.

Ozturk also said some EU members discuss their security and defence issues in the EU meetings but not in NATO.

He also underlined that NATO allies should not impose sanctions and embargo on each other or threaten to do so.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, founded on April 4, 1949, currently has 30 members and is headquartered in Brussels.

Turkey joined NATO in 1952 after 12 founding countries of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.

NATO marks Turkey's membership

The head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Thursday marked the 69th anniversary of Turkey’s membership in the alliance.

“Ever since Turkey joined NATO in 1952, it has stood on the frontlines of many challenges to the Alliance from Soviet expansionism to Russian aggression to the Black Sea, from terrorism to widespread instability in the Middle East,” Gerald E. Connolly, th e president of the assembly, said in a video message shared by Antalya Diplomacy Forum’s social media account.

Connolly congratulated and thanked the Turkish nation for its strong contribution to the alliance’s common security and shared values.

He said those democratic values have remained as the foundation of NATO’s strength and cohesion for over seven decades, and add ed: “We must all constantly work to protect that democracy, expand it and strengthen our ability to resist and counter attempts to undermine it.”

Connolly noted Turkey has played a full part as a “stalwart transatlantic ally” by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with member states, contributing to efforts to bring stability to the Western Balkans and Afghanistan, as well as by hosting millions of Syrian refugees.

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