Turkey’s reply

In “Turkey and Trump’s unpredictability” (Column One, April 21), Caroline B. Glick presents a rather twisted version of Turkey’s modern history and aims to mislead your readers about my country’s unabated struggle against terrorism.

Turkey’s democratic choice, reflected in the referendum held on April 16, was about the system of government, not the type of regime. By taking the meaning of the popular vote to incredible heights, Ms. Glick purports that a resulting enlargement of the prerogatives of the president in a new presidential system (to enter into effect after elections in 2019) has already turned Turkey into a “dictatorship.” This argument is simply wrong.

Ms. Glick’s other makeshift conclusion, that Turkey is a “major state sponsor of terrorism,” is absurd. Turkey has paid the heaviest price in the face of abhorrent terrorist attacks by Islamic State, the PKK and Al-Qaida. Currently, and as in the past, it has been the leading NATO member in the fight against those terrorist organizations. Recalling that Turkey shares a border totaling 1,300 km. with Iraq and Syria should be indicative of both the intensity of the threat and our commitment to fighting it.

Moreover, facing the destruction of a region in turmoil and the unprecedented flow of refugees, Turkey has shouldered alone most of the humanitarian burden for more than six years.

It would have been fair to your readers had Ms. Glick duly corroborated her facts before resorting to unsubstantiated and misleading criticism. KEMAL ÖKEM

Tel Aviv The writer is Turkey’s ambassador to Israel.