ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey has confirmed that it is boycotting Europe’s largest human rights conference because of the presence of non-governmental organizations it says are linked to “terror” groups operating against Turkey.
A Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday that while Turkey supports NGO participation at such international platforms, it cannot accept the presence of “terror organizations that target . the lives of our citizens under the guise of civil society organizations.”
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
The two-week conference organized by the 57-state Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe opened in Warsaw on Monday.
The Turkish delegation staged a walkout of the meeting last year after failing to block groups affiliated with cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for the failed 2016 coup, from attending.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.