Turkey denounces 'unwarranted' addition to FATF grey list

ANKARA

Turkey's Ministry of Treasury and Finance said the grey listing of the country on Oct. 21 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was unfair.  

"Despite coordination studies, putting our country on the grey list has created a result that is unwarranted," the ministry said in a statement. 

"For the period after this, all necessary steps will continue to be taken with FATF and related institutions to ensure that our country would be removed from this unwarranted list within the shortest time," it added. 

Noting that Turkey has been a member of FATF since 1991, the ministry emphasized that the country has taken the necessary measures in the framework of regulations that are conducted in line with international standards.

"Considering the report of FATF, our country introduced on Dec. 27, 2020 a law preventing the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," it said, adding that thus, it has made significant improvement in the four issues mentioned in the 2019 FATF Report that focused on financial sanctions, internal auditing and affiliates, and sanctions targeted in the field of the financing of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

The ministry also noted that Turkey made notable progress in accordance with FATF standards during the coronavirus pandemic despite quarantine measures and that it had fulfilled its obligations in these regulations.

Interior minister blames Europe for ‘financing terrorism’

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu reacted against a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decision to downgrade Turkey to a “grey list” on Oct. 22 and accused Europe of “financing” terrorism whose price, he said, Turkey was paying.

“We are a country where terrorism inflicts the most costs. The one, who finances and empowers terrorism, is Europe. There can be such brazenness. It can be made contrary to the facts.”

Elaborating on other measures that Turkey has taken on the issue, Soylu said, “Again on the same date, we enacted the Law on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism and made some changes in the Law on Associations No. 5253. We have established ‘Fighting the Financing of Terrorism Branch Offices’ in our law enforcement units. We established ‘Fighting the Financing of Terrorism Bureau’ in 81 provinces.”