Turkey's membership not in question: NATO

By Hasan Esen

BRUSSELS

Turkey's NATO membership is not in question, the alliance said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement came in view of speculative press reports regarding NATO's stance on the foiled coup in Turkey, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

"Turkey is a valued ally, making substantial contributions to NATO's joint efforts. NATO counts on the continued contributions of Turkey and Turkey can count on the solidarity and support of NATO," the statement said.

The statement emphasized that Turkey takes full part in the Alliance’s consensus-based decisions.

"Our alliance is committed to collective defense and founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, human rights and the rule of law."

The statement also said that on the night of the coup attempt, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and later with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly condemning the attempted coup and reiterating full support for Turkey’s democratic institutions.

Ankara has repeatedly said the coup attempt was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen and FETO.

Gulen is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.