CHP leader reminds NATO of its anti-terror mission

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel has reminded NATO allies that the primary mission of the alliance is to tackle terrorism and that the terrorist threats and attacks against Türkiye should be of concern to each and every allied nation.

“NATO’s main mission and function is to eliminate security threats to one of its members. I want you to know that we are closely monitoring what all our allies are doing regarding the security threat against Türkiye,” Özel said over the weekend.

Denouncing the PKK terrorism that killed nine troops and expressing condolences to the nation, Özel chaired a special meeting of the Central Decision-Making Committee (MYK) for a comprehensive evaluation of the security situation and the ongoing fight against terror.

“The security threats towards us concern the entire NATO, from America as having the biggest army of the alliance to its newest member,” he said.

Özel drew attention to the fact that certain countries’ ties with terror organizations are causing suffering in Türkiye.

In the meantime, a statement issued following the MYK meeting questioned the government’s performance in fighting terrorism and its intelligence-gathering capacity. Recalling that 12 troops have been killed in a similar attack in December, the CHP asked why additional measures have not been taken since then to prevent new attacks.

“It must be immediately clarified why these attacks could not be prevented, whether the necessary precautions were taken and whether there was negligence on the part of those responsible,” the CHP said.

It also underlined that one of the reasons for the surge in terrorist attacks is the wrongful foreign policy the government is pursuing, calling on the government to implement a rational foreign policy.