Perry defends controversial accusations against Turkey

The Turkish Foreign Ministry reacted with a harsh statement to Perry's previous remarks, made on Monday night during a debate among Republican contenders in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, saying the Texas governor was a 2-year-old toddler when Turkey became a NATO member. The statement said Perry's charges are “unfounded and inappropriate” and that “the US has no time to lose with such a candidate who does not even know America's allies.”

But in a heated exchange with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday evening, Perry showed no sign of readiness to backtrack on his previous comments. Asked whether he “misspoke,” Perry confidently said, “No, not at all,” citing honor killings in Turkey and Ankara's stance towards Israel as bases for his accusations.

“A country that allowed 140 to 160 honor killings in 2011, I will tell you that is not a country that America wants to be associating with. A country that referred to the Israel flotilla attack as an act of war, I mean, this is a country that's becoming more and more aggressive to a true American ally in that area, and that is Israel,” Perry said. “So the idea that Erdoğan's regime has somehow or another earned our respect is not correct. … From my perspective, Turkey hasn't earned our trust when they're doing that to their own citizens.”

“I said that if they are treating their citizens that way, that they approach that terminology,” he said when asked by Blitzer whether he was really saying Turkish leaders are Islamic terrorists.

Perry also reiterated his claim that Turkey moved away from its pro-Western stance that Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, put in place and said the United States should cut foreign aid to Turkey. “I don't think Americans want their foreign aid going to a country that allows for honor killings of women. And that is a real issue that we need to deal with as the United States and our foreign aid,” he said.

When Blitzer said the US barely provides any military or economic assistance to Turkey, Perry insisted that the United States does send aid to Turkey. “I think some $4 billion. That's not just a drop in the bucket,” he said.

When asked to confirm that the US sent $4 billion to Turkey in this fiscal year, he said, “$4 billion in the last few years and I think $7 billion on the military side of things,” and told Blitzer, “Let me ask you, are you sitting here and defending the act of honor killing?”

Blitzer responded he did not and that the Turkish government is not defending it either, to which Perry replied: “And that is the reason -- that is the reason I've called for going to zero on this foreign aid to these countries that -- you know, the idea that we've got US dollars going into countries that allow these types of atrocities to occur -- and it's my understanding as well that women who go to the state for protection are not getting those protections. So this is a country that's got some explaining to do to the United States.”

The Texas governor also said the US should have a “conversation” with Turkey on whether it should remain a member of NATO. He said countries like Turkey and Pakistan both want US money but they also either commit anti-US activities or commit atrocities against their own people. “Is that the kind of people we want to be siding with? I mean, I understand it's a complicated world out there, but to sit back and to accept these things, Americans are ready for some strong language and some strong actions,” he said.

“So, I don't have a problem at all with what I said. And I think Turkey has got to decide whether they want to be a country that projects those Western values that America is all about,” Perry concluded.

Ray Sullivan, a spokesman for Perry's campaign, also echoed the governor's remarks. “The debate question was specifically about the increased Islamist influence in Turkey, violence against civilian women in Turkey and association with Hamas,” Sullivan said in a written statement, according to Fox News' website. “Turkey can be a valuable ally, but the actions of the current government undermine that country's role in an organization like NATO. We need to send the message to Turkey that internal violence, association with terrorist groups and radical Islamist influence are inconsistent with being a NATO ally and positive player in world affairs.”

The Obama administration has already distanced itself from Perry's remarks. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Obama administration fundamentally disagrees with the assertion that Turkey is run by Islamic terrorists.