Türkiye dismisses US State Department report as "distorted"

The latest US State Department report on terrorism has deliberately distorted information about Türkiye's steps to counter the manifestations of terrorism that directly threaten the country's security.

The statement came from the Turkish Foreign Ministry's official representative, Tanju Bilgic, Anadolu reports.

The diplomat called on the US to show solidarity with Türkiye in light of the spirit of alliance between the two countries and "demonstrate a principled, consistent, resolute and effective approach to the fight against terrorism".

"Türkiye continues to fight against terrorist organisations, including PKK/PYD/YPG, [Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front] DHKP-C, [Gülenist Terror Group] FETÖ and ISIS militants. Ankara's all actions in this direction are based on the letter of the law. Türkiye is fighting against all forms of crime, without distinguishing between terrorist structures," the ministry official stressed.

Bilgic also noted Türkiye's effective contribution to international efforts to eradicate all forms and manifestations of terrorism.

He drew attention to the fact that the US State Department report had mentioned the so-called "SDS" (Syrian Democratic Forces), namely, an offshoot of the PKK terrorist organisation in Syria, as a US partner in the fight against the IS. The inadmissibility of using one terrorist organisation in the fight against another is still not realised by the US authorities, the Turkish diplomat noted.

"It is especially strange, based on unconfirmed media reports, to assign a place in the report to allegations that Türkiye's counter-terrorism operations in Syria and Iraq lead to civilian casualties," Bilgic stated.

The terrorist nature of the activities of the terrorist organisation Fethullah Gulen (FETÖ), which organised a bloody coup attempt in Türkiye in 2016 and got involved in criminal activities in many countries, including the United States, has been revealed and proven by the Turkish judicial system, the Turkish diplomat recalled.

"For this reason, it is unacceptable to call Türkiye's struggle with FETÖ functionaries 'politically motivated steps' in the report. Ankara expects Washington to take measures to stop the presence and activities of Gulen supporters in the United States as soon as possible," the ministry representative said.

Bilgic pointed out that the use of "hearsay-based and biased media reports" claims, in general, casts doubt on the seriousness of the US State Department report.