Turkey Vows To Scuttle NATO Defense Plan Over Kurds

The Independent reports:

Turkey will block NATO’s plan for the defence of Baltic countries unless the alliance recognises a Kurdish group as “terrorists”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned.

A NATO meeting on Tuesday, marking the alliance’s 70th anniversary, was set to be a tense affair with Turkey at odds with other members over its purchase of Russian missiles and recent offensive in northern Syria, among other issues.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital, Ankara, before his departure for the British capital, Erdogan urged unconditional support of the alliance in the fight against the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG), which Turkey views as a terrorist organisation.

Turkey will oppose NATO’s plan for the defense of Baltic countries if the alliance does not recognize groups that Turkey deems terrorists, President Tayyip Erdogan says https://t.co/5NmYnx18qj pic.twitter.com/2Gr5goBUmq

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 3, 2019