Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "As the NATO member that has suffered the greatest number of terrorist attacks, we expect the Alliance and our allies to show the necessary sensitivity in the fight against terrorism."
Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the panel titled “NATO from Regional to Global: Dialogue, Enlargement and Unity" organized in Madrid ahead of the NATO Summit by the Directorate of Communications.
Expressing his pleasure to organize this event on the sidelines of the historic NATO Summit hosted by their friend and ally, Spain, where the Alliance's 2030 strategic concept will be updated, Director of Communications Altun recalled that Türkiye, which joined NATO in 1952, maintains the Alliance's second-largest army.
Director of Communications Altun noted that Türkiye has become an indispensable part of NATO with its strong support for allies and contributions to the Alliance in the past seven decades, and that the investments made in the national defense industry in recent years, under the strong and visionary leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are also an indication of Türkiye's position.
Every product by Turkish engineers in the defence industry strengthens not just Türkiye, a stabilizing actor, but also NATO, of which we are a part, Altun said, and he added that the concept of "companionship in arms" holds a special place among Turks, who are defined as "a military nation".
Director of Communications Altun continued as follows:
"’Companionship in arms’ should be viewed as the manifestation of a shared denominator, a sense of loyalty and solidarity, rather than merely the performance of certain obligations during a specific time period. The concept that best represents the importance Türkiye attributes to NATO may be ‘companionship in arms’. On the other hand, the concept of ‘companionship in arms’ encompasses not only assisting your companion in arms or acting together when they are in a bind but also having them with you when you need them. I regret to say that the feeling that some of our NATO allies are not on our side in the fight against terrorism severely harms NATO's image in the eyes of the Turkish nation.”
Likewise, as the NATO member that has suffered the greatest number of terrorist attacks, we expect the Alliance and our allies to show the necessary sensitivity in the fight against terrorism. In this context, the PKK terrorist organization's propaganda, financing and recruitment activities must be dealt with seriously; this fight should encompass all of the extensions of the organization, especially its Syrian branch, YPG. Moreover, we consider it a requirement of our alliance to take decisive steps in the fight against FETO, which infiltrated our country's institutions, killed 251 innocent people on the evening of July 15, 2016, and attempted to seize power."
"I am confident our Spanish friends would be the most receptive to our sensitivity"
I am confident our Spanish friends would be the most receptive to our sensitivity in the fight against terrorism; because, unlike some states, Spain has unfortunately suffered the pain of terrorism; it has seen the ugly face of terrorists just as we have, Director of Communications Altun said.
Noting that, similar to Türkiye, Spain, which became the 16th member of the Alliance in 1982, has made significant contributions to the Alliance for decades, Director of Communications Altun underlined that Spain has undertaken essential tasks in NATO operations, and has made substantial contributions to the NATO mission in Afghanistan as well as the NATO missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Director of Communications also noted the following:
"I would like to express our appreciation for Spain's sensitivity to our national security, particularly our air defence, as a friend and ally. We think that this approach is compatible with the ‘indivisibility of security’ principle. We believe this close cooperation between the two Mediterranean countries should set an example for all allies. We want states wishing to join our alliance to share our commitment to combating terrorism, and we expect them to take the necessary steps in this regard without delay. Because countries that have not fully internalized NATO's values and the security of their allies will do more harm than good to the alliance as a whole."