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NATO’s scandalous “Trident Javelin” military exercise is still being criticized by many, as it targeted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey on Friday decided to withdraw its 40 troops from the joint NATO drill conducted in Norway after he and Atatürk were depicted as “enemies.”
Reports say that the incident took place one week before the drill ended. It was launched on Nov. 8, the exercise in which the two Turkish leaders were depicted as enemies occurred on Nov. 13 and the drill ended on Nov. 16.
President Erdoğan was notified of the incident on Nov. 17 and announced it to the public. "There can be no such unity, no such alliance," said the Turkish President.
Although the heinous plan is trying to be presented as an incident that “was the result of an individual’s actions,” it serves a greater purpose: preparing for an operation against Turkey. The enemy country was designated as the country of “Skolken” in the scenario of the war game in Norway.
NATO chief apologized to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday after a civilian Norwegian official depicted the Turkish leader as an "enemy collaborator" during a bloc exercise in Norway, according to a presidential source. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made the apology over the phone, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.Turkey withdrew from the Trident Javelin exercise after the incident in Norway on Friday.A portrait of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was also shown in the "hostile leader list" during a computer-assisted exercise.In the phone call, Stoltenberg also informed the Turkish president that an inquiry had been initiated by the commanding officer and the contracted Norwegian technician involved in the incident was terminated immediately.The NATO chief also said Turkey is an important ally for NATO and that he would take all necessary precautions to avoid a repeat of such an incident.He hoped the scandal would not adversely affect relations between NATO and Turkey, the source said.Stoltenberg had also apologized to Turkey over the incident on Friday.Erdoğan condemns 'impudence' during NATO drillTurkey’s opposition seeks more than apology from NATODeputy PM slams NATO enemy chart
NATO chief apologizes to Erdoğan over drill incident
'Dictator' of fictional country
A technician in the Norwegian army put Atatürk’s portrait in the “hostile leader list” as the “dictator” of Skolken during a computer-assisted exercise. The scenario of the drill also included a war scenario that broke out due to the social media content posted by the leader of Skolken. A fake account opened by a Norwegian contract military officer of Turkish origin was part of the drill’s scenario. The officer opened a fake account named “RTerdogan” and identified Erdoğan as the enemy target and depicted him as an “enemy of NATO” who allegedly made deals that was harmed NATO.
NATO starts a war against Skolken
In the generic scenario of the drill, there were remarkable similarities between the fictional country of Skolken and Turkey. According to the scenario, Skolken had made important progress in the bid to buy the S-400 defense systems, and Skolken and the manufacturer country of the S-400s had recently developed closer relations.
Turkey has completed the purchases of the S-400 missile system from Russia, Turkish National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Saturday.
NATO declared war against Skolken, following these developments and its leader’s social media posts, the scenario depicted. Although NATO attempted to slur over the scandal, saying that “the incidents were the result of an individual’s actions and does not reflect the views of NATO,” the details reveal that this drill was attributed particularly to Turkey.
Turkey’s alliance with NATO should not be undermined, Turkish military chief Gen. Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia in Canada, Chief of General Staff Gen. Akar said: “NATO is the most successful and most effective military organization that has existed throughout history.“Recently, in one of the NATO exercises we had an unpleasant and unacceptable event, reportedly committed by an individual who may be backed by [Fetullah Terrorist Organization] FETO members.“NATO administrators responded timely and appropriately. We should not allow anyone to undermine our alliance and our solidarity.”Turkey withdrew its troops from a NATO military drill in Norway after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his name and the picture of Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were used in an "enemy chart”.Following the incident, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg apologized to Turkey in a written statement as well as to Gen. Akar during a face-to-face meeting in Canada.Gen. Akar said Turkey is one of the countries with the highest number of troops in NATO and the country has supported 14 missions of the alliance in 11 different countries.The general also criticized Turkey’s allies who were providing weapons to PKK/PYD terror group.Allies' cooperation with PKK/PYD“PKK, PYD and YPG are equals of each other. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by numerous countries.“They may have different names but they all have the same goal.“It was unfortunate to witness the utilization of terrorist organizations as proxies during this conflict. This has further complicated the situation.“Some of our allies have been cooperating with the PKK-affiliated YPG in a similar fashion. They have been supporting PKK and YPG in almost all demands despite news of such acts amounting to war crimes.”He said it was disappointing to see that some allies provided weapons and ammunition to the PKK/PYD.“I would like to underline that PKK/YPG uses these weapons against Turkish citizens and soldiers."Additionally, we are having a hard time to understand the ethics in fight against terrorist organization with another one. It seems a simple name change has been enough for some states.''Referring to reports about the U.S. backing the deal allowing Daesh to leave their Syrian stronghold of Raqqah that paved the way for PKK/PYD to then takeover the city, Gen. Akar said: ''Some of our allies disregarded the dirty deal that YPG brokered with Daesh in Raqqah.'Unbelievable' Raqqah deal"Evacuation of Daesh terrorists from Raqqah even with their weapons, it’s unbelievable.''The general also said that Daesh had nothing to do with Islam. “Please do not forget that Daesh is also attacking Islamic countries and killing innocent Muslims without hesitation.“Do not mix Muslims with terrorists. The key must be zero tolerance for terrorists."For instance, we have witnessed tragic attacks in Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims recently."The attackers were Buddhists; however, no one referred to them as Buddhist terrorists.''At the end of his speech, Akar quoted Erdogan’s famous words about the world being bigger than a few countries.“As our President Erdogan has said while referring to the UN Security Council, we should remember that the world is bigger than five."The UN’s priority must be global safety and security.”
Turkey, NATO alliance should not be 'undermined'
Preparation for an operation
The drill has been interpreted as “preparations for an operation against Turkey.” The real scenario was to turn NATO against Turkey by spreading fake discourses through President Erdoğan.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement apologizing for the incident saying that an investigation was underway.
"It will be for the Norwegian authorities to decide on any disciplinary action," Stoltenberg added.
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar in his meeting with Jens Stoltenberg said that an investigation launched by Norwegian authorities regarding the incidents should not be limited to the people responsible for it, underlining the need for an “extensive” investigation. He also noted that “those who try to exploit NATO for their own agendas should not be allowed to harm cooperation among NATO allies.”
NATO drills prepared months beforehand
It is not coincidental that an account named “RTerdogan” was opened and that Atatürk was targeted as the “enemy country’s leader” in the drill, as NATO’s scenarios for its annual drills are written down to the very last detail months before its scheduled date within the chain of command. All materials to be used in drills are also prepared in advance. The Trident Javelin exercise, which personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces also joined, was also one of the planned drills of NATO.
Trident Javelin, the fourth of the annual Trident Juncture exercises held for the certification of NATO’s response force, was conducted to certify the Allied Joint Force Commands in Netherlands’ Brunssum and Italy’s Napoli. Following the drill, the joint force would be certified to perform their NATO tasks in 2018. Therefore, Javelin is being evaluated as the exercise for the preparation of a possible operation that NATO will launch in 2018.
Possible FETÖ involvement
Five of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization’s (FETÖ) military officers who held office at the NATO base where the drill was conducted until last year’s coup attempt were granted political asylum in Norway after July 15. Thus, it was also considered that FETÖ might be involved in the scandalous incident. Former Brigadier General Gökhan Şahin Sönmezateş, one of FETÖ’s gunmen during the July 15 coup attempt, was also among those who held office in NATO headquarters 10 years ago.
FETÖ terrorists are led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday an apology was not enough to solve the NATO enemy chart problem, and added that NATO’s credibility was now dubious.“Yesterday, you have witnessed the impudence at NATO exercise in Norway. The credibility of NATO has become questionable in the eyes of all member states. Some mistakes are not made by fools but by scum. The disrespectful behavior at the NATO drill cannot be solved with a simple apology,” Erdoğan said."I understand this impudence that targets me and founder of our republic Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as a reflection of a distorted point of view that we observe in NATO for a while," the president added.Turkish officials have slammed the incident during a NATO drill in Norway. Turkey withdrew from the Trident Javelin exercise after a civilian Norwegian official depicted Erdoğan as an "enemy collaborator" during a bloc exercise.On Friday, Erdoğan told ruling Justice and Development (AK Party) Party members in capital Ankara that a portrait of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was also shown in the ‘hostile leader list’ during the computer-assisted exercise.A Norwegian national was removed from the exercise as a consequence of the incident, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen have apologized to Turkey.Deputy PM slams NATO enemy chartS-400 purchase“The reaction put forward when we attempted to purchase the S-400 from Russia to defend our own security confirms this fallacy. I would like to call out to all our NATO allies. We bought the S-400 system. We are currently discussing financing. We will not allow anyone to threaten us with their technology,” Erdoğan said.Turkey has "completed" the purchase of the S-400 air-defense system from Russia, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Nov. 11.The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.“Those who are trying to limit Turkey in the international arena by supporting terrorist organizations against us in Syria and Iraq. How can we believe those who say that they are fighting terrorism?” Erdoğan said.Turkey says purchase of S-400 from Russia 'completed'Turkey will save Syria's Idlib and Manbij“We will save Syria’s Idlib. We will also clear Manbij and deliver it to its rightful owners. We will save Afrin. We will eliminate all terror threats to Turkey in Iraq’s Qandil. We will work to prevent a quarrel among brothers in the Gulf,” said Erdoğan.Erdogan has previously said that Afrin would be on Ankara's agenda after its current operation in Syria's Idlib province, where Turkey and Russia have set up observation points under a "de-escalation" deal reached by Ankara, Moscow and Tehran to ease the bloodshed in the six-year-old Syrian conflict.Turkish troops will be deployed to strategic points in Idlib, near its border with Afrin and Manbij, to monitor the region to prevent clashes between Syrian opposition fighters and Assad regime forces as well as outline a plan for an upcoming operation in the other two areas. The Turkish military has already established six observation posts across Idlib.Turkish presidential aide slams US over PKK-Daesh dealPKK/PYD chemical weapons threaten 6 mln civilians in Turkey'Turkey has evidence of US arming terror groups'Assad regime shelling kills 7 civilians in E.GhoutaCease-fire in Syria’s E. Ghouta ‘over’, observers say
Erdoğan condemns 'impudence' during NATO drill
Turkish main opposition party leader on Saturday said that the incident during the NATO drill in Norway cannot be just evaded with an apology.Turkey withdrew from the Trident Javelin exercise after a civilian Norwegian official depicted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as an "enemy collaborator" during a bloc exercise in Norway.On Friday, Erdoğan told ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party members in capital Ankara that a portrait of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was also shown in the ‘hostile leader list’ during the computer-assisted exercise.Speaking at an event in Ankara on Saturday, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said they cannot accept the “insult” towards Turkey's history and today's Turkey.He said they expect a satisfactory statement from the NATO officials regarding the incident."It is not a topic that can be avoided with an ordinary 'we apologize' thing," Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding "Nobody can insult Turkey's (current) executives and history. We strongly condemn this.”NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen have apologized to Turkey over the incident.Deputy PM slams NATO enemy chartNorway apologizes to Turkey over NATO drill incidentTurkey to monitor legal proceedings over NATO incident
Turkey’s opposition seeks more than apology from NATO
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on Saturday Turkey strongly condemned the enemy chart incident at a NATO drill in Norway.“We strongly condemn those who conducted this dishonorable action. NATO’s apology is important, but I believe they also have some responsibility in the incident. All necessary actions should be taken regarding those who did this,” Bozdağ said.Bozdağ added that there is an “international cooperation” against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."This [international cooperation] reached a level that gave a soldier courage to show the founder and current leader of a NATO country as an enemy target during an exercise," said Bozdağ speaking to reporters in southeastern Şırnak."Until now NATO has not seen a scandal like this. Neither did the world," Bozdağ said, adding that NATO should take necessary steps that will prevent such incidents in the future.Turkey to monitor legal proceedings over NATO incidentBozdağ welcomed the removal of those responsible from the incident and the apology of NATO secretary-general. However, he added that those who run NATO also have responsibility to take.A Norwegian national was removed from the exercise as a consequence of the incident. Erdoğan was depicted as an “enemy collaborator” during the drill."There was an incident in Norway," Erdogan told ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party members in Ankara on Friday."They used an enemy chart in Norway. In that chart, there was my name and [Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk's picture."Norway apologizes to Turkey over NATO drill incidentImmediately after the incident, Turkey withdrew from the Trident Javelin exercise, Erdoğan announced.Following the incident, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has apologized to Turkey. In a written statement, Stoltenberg said: "I apologize for the offense that has been caused. The incidents were the result of an individual’s actions and do not reflect the views of NATO."Stoltenberg’s statement said that the individual in question "was immediately removed from the exercise by the Joint Warfare Centre, and an investigation is underway"."He was a civilian contractor seconded by Norway and not a NATO employee. It will be for the Norwegian authorities to decide on any disciplinary action," he also said.Stoltenberg added that Turkey is a "valued NATO Ally, which makes important contributions to Allied security."Polish Maj. Gen. Andrzej Reudowicz, the commander of the Joint Warfare Center (JWC) in Stavanger, Norway where the exercise took place, has also issued a letter of apology over the incidents, according to the anonymous NATO official.
Deputy PM slams NATO enemy chart