ANKARA, Turkey ? United States Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry drew Turkey's ire on Tuesday after suggesting the country is ruled by Islamic terrorists and questioned its NATO membership.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a scathing statement Tuesday saying Perry's comments were "baseless and inappropriate" and that the U.S. has no time to waste with candidates "who do not even know their allies."
In a debate ahead of the South Carolina primaries, Perry, the governor of Texas, said Turkey was ruled by "what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists," questioned the country's NATO membership and said it should not receive U.S. aid.
He said Turkey was moving "far away from the country that I lived in back in the 1970's as a pilot in the United States Air Force that was our ally, that worked with us."
Turkey, which has assisted NATO in Afghanistan and other missions said it has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism.
"Turkey joined NATO while the governor was still 2-years old," the statement said. "It is a member that has made important contributions to the trans-Atlantic alliance's conflict-full history. It is among countries that are at the front lines in the fight against terrorism."
Turkey has been ruled by a government led by pious Muslims since 2002. Although it's ties with Israel have deteriorated, the government has maintained close ties with the West while seeking to represent the views of the Muslim world.
Most recently, Turkey began to host NATO's early warning radar system as part of NATO's missile defense system, which is capable of countering ballistic missile threats from Iran.
And while the United States recently deployed four Predator drones to Turkey from Iraq to aid Ankara in its fight against the autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, Turkey does not received U.S. foreign aid.
The Turkish statement said Turkey's leaders were "personalities respected not only in the United States, but in our region and in the world and whose opinions are strongly relied on."
The Turkish statement said Perry's low standings in polls were proof that the Republicans in the U.S. does not endorse his opinions.
"Figures who are candidates for positions that require responsibility, such as the U.S. presidency, should be more knowledgeable about the world and exert more care with their statement," the Turkish statement said.
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