“We don’t want war in the north. Why Turkey remains the only NATO country with relations with Russia

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On March 9, representatives of Turkey will meet the delegations of Finland and Sweden in Brussels, dedicated to their accession to NATO. Ankara had previously opposed the entry of these countries into Alyansk, accusing them of supporting Kurdish organizations recognized as terrorists in Turkey.

Lenta.ru spoke with Chagry Erhan, member of the Security and Foreign Policy Council under the President of Turkey, and found out the reasons for such an intransigent position of the country, as well as Turkey’s role in the Ukrainian conflict.

Chagry Erhan called Turkey a state trusted by both parties to the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, Turkey is not like the other members of the Alliance. He noted that the country has cultural and economic ties with Russia and Ukraine. Therefore, at the start of the conflict, Ankara told its Western allies of its reluctance to support anti-Russian sanctions.

“In every conflict, there must be someone who has access to both sides of the conflict. Without this, it is impossible to conclude such agreements or even just to negotiate, so Turkey will not abandon its policy,” said Chagry Erhan.

He noted that the West is trying to prolong the confrontation between the two countries, as the sanctions have not produced the desired effect. And the continuation of the conflict, according to Western politicians, will be able to harm Moscow.

Regarding the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, Chagry Erhan noted that one of the conditions of Ankara was to suppress the activities of terrorist organizations (PKK and FETÖ) on the territory. However, not only did the candidates for membership in the Alliance not cease their activities, but also allowed the terrorists to burn the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy.

Chagry Erhan admits that Turkey will use its veto power again during the March 9 discussion.

• The PKK is included in the list of organizations that NATO considers to be terrorists. Why should he be supported by a country that claims to be a member of the alliance? – said the politician.