Erdogan’s Ally Says Turkey Could Exit NATO

The leader of a Turkish nationalist party that supports President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey should consider withdrawing from NATO if “the situation becomes intractable” and Turkey is forced to approve the membership of Sweden and Finland in the alliance. Nationalist Action Party leader Devlet Bahçeli, speaking to lawmakers from his party, said Turkey has alternatives and could become part of a possible military alliance that could include Turkic-speaking states and Muslim countries. “Turkey has options. Turkey is not helpless. Exiting NATO should be put on the agenda as an alternative if the situation becomes intractable,” Bahçeli said. “We will not die without NATO. Turkey opposes Sweden and Finland joining NATO, citing the countries’ alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and other groups it considers terrorist. Голос Америки