Ankara rejects US security advisor's claim it is supporter of extremism
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has condemned recent statements from the US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster that it is now one of the world’s main sponsors of extremist ideology.
“We didn’t pay enough attention to how it’s [radical Islamist ideology] being advanced through charities, madrassas and other social organisations,” McMaster said during a Policy Exchange think tank event in Washington on Monday, according to The National.
Describing “radical Islamist ideology” as a “grave threat to all civilized people,” it’s “now done more by Qatar and by Turkey,” he said, explaining that Saudi Arabia was the prime supporter decades ago.
McMaster said that Turkey’s deteriorating relations with the West were a result of the rise of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK party.
“The allegations made by Mr. McMaster, who is best placed to judge Turkey’s ceaseless combat against terrorism and radicalism in all its forms and manifestations, are astonishing, baseless and unacceptable,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry asserted in a published statement on Wednesday.
“We expect the United States, which we continue to recognize as our friend and ally, to display the same stance to our country, to cease all forms of cooperation with terrorist groups such as YPG and provide more concrete and effective support in our ongoing determined fight against terrorism and radicalism in line with our traditional ties of alliance and international legitimacy.”
The armed Kurdish force YPG is a key ally of the United States and the global anti-ISIS coalition on the ground in northern Syria, much to Turkey’s chagrin. Ankara considers the YPG and the political party PYD to be extensions of the PKK, a named terrorist organization in Turkey and the United States.
Relations between the NATO allies have become further strained over Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Turkey hosted an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Wednesday.
The 57-member OIC rejected the US decision and declared “East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine and invite all countries to recognize the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital,” read the final communique from the meeting chaired by Erdogan.
They also stated that they hold the United States responsible for any consequences of its decision.
“We didn’t pay enough attention to how it’s [radical Islamist ideology] being advanced through charities, madrassas and other social organisations,” McMaster said during a Policy Exchange think tank event in Washington on Monday, according to The National.
Describing “radical Islamist ideology” as a “grave threat to all civilized people,” it’s “now done more by Qatar and by Turkey,” he said, explaining that Saudi Arabia was the prime supporter decades ago.
McMaster said that Turkey’s deteriorating relations with the West were a result of the rise of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK party.
“The allegations made by Mr. McMaster, who is best placed to judge Turkey’s ceaseless combat against terrorism and radicalism in all its forms and manifestations, are astonishing, baseless and unacceptable,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry asserted in a published statement on Wednesday.
“We expect the United States, which we continue to recognize as our friend and ally, to display the same stance to our country, to cease all forms of cooperation with terrorist groups such as YPG and provide more concrete and effective support in our ongoing determined fight against terrorism and radicalism in line with our traditional ties of alliance and international legitimacy.”
The armed Kurdish force YPG is a key ally of the United States and the global anti-ISIS coalition on the ground in northern Syria, much to Turkey’s chagrin. Ankara considers the YPG and the political party PYD to be extensions of the PKK, a named terrorist organization in Turkey and the United States.
Relations between the NATO allies have become further strained over Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Turkey hosted an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Wednesday.
The 57-member OIC rejected the US decision and declared “East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine and invite all countries to recognize the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital,” read the final communique from the meeting chaired by Erdogan.
They also stated that they hold the United States responsible for any consequences of its decision.