Turkey does not consider pullout from NATO: Erdogan's AKP party

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Jan 2023 17:52

After delaying talks on the NATO bid by Sweden and Finland, a spokesperson states that Turkey's withdrawal from NATO is not currently under consideration.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party Omer Celik said on Wednesday that Turkey's withdrawal from NATO is not currently under consideration.

"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 said as quoted by Turkish media.

Earlier, the Turkish Homeland Party's Deputy Chairman stated that the country will leave NATO in five to six months. According to the most recent polls, 80% of the Turkish people believe that the US is hostile to Turkey.

This is happening one day after Turkey postponed a new round of discussions with Sweden and Finland on their NATO membership bids "indefinitely", Turkish official media reported on Tuesday.

The negotiations were scheduled to take place next month, according to reports citing Turkish diplomatic sources.

In this context, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he wanted to re-establish "dialogue" with Turkey as negotiations on Sweden's NATO accession stalled following the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran outside Ankara's Stockholm Embassy.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto says it is too early to tell whether Sweden's application to ascend to NATO will reach a dead end, but if it does, Finland might opt to join NATO alone.

On his account, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden that he would not back its bid to join the Western US-led defense alliance.

It is worth noting that bids to join NATO must be ratified by all members of the alliance, of which Turkey is a member.

Turkey condemned the burning of the Holy Quran during a protest in Sweden, describing it as a "vile act", saying the Swedish government's decision to allow the protest to go ahead was "completely unacceptable".

The event occurs at a critical time in the bilateral ties between Turkey and Sweden, especially since Stockholm is looking for Ankara's endorsement of its NATO membership applications.

NATO had been actively attempting to isolate Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. However, Turkey, since the start, balanced a relationship between the two great powers based on its interests with the two. The country has been a member of NATO since February 18, 1952, and yet it has had a multitude of fruitful agreements with both Russia and China at times when the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance had its deep feuds with the two.

All of this occurs at a critical time in the bilateral ties between Turkey and Sweden, especially since Stockholm is looking for Ankara's endorsement of its NATO membership applications.