Turkey slams ‘terror-linked’ NGOs at rights conference

ANKARA, Turkey – 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.