Erdogan urges more anti-terror cooperation inside NATO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that NATO allies should show more solidarity in the global counter-terror fight.

"Terrorism is not the problem of a single country, but a problem of entire world. Global problems can only be solved through global cooperation," Erdogan addressed a press conference here on Wednesday before his departure to Brussels for the NATO summit.

Erdogan noted that terrorism is the biggest threaten to both national and international security, and the recent terror attacks in St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Paris and Manchester showed the terrorism has become a global problem, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also complained that some countries "are still making distinctions between terror groups," distinguishing "my terrorist, your terrorist".

"Solidarity is the only antidote for terror," Erdogan said. "Instant sharing intelligence is obligatory and NATO should be more active and give more support to allied countries."

Turkish government and Western countries have different opinions on the identification of some terrorism organization.

For instance, Turkey accuses Gulen movement group of masterminding the July 2016 failed coup attempt. However, the German government on May 11 accepted asylum application of some former military personnel affiliated with the Gulen Movement, and the US has refused to extradite preacher Fethullah Gulen from Pennsylvania back to Turkey until now.

Turkey also regards the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist organization by the US, Turkey and the European Union. But Washington sees the YPG distinct from the PKK and as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria.

--IANS

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