Turkey protests against Norway giving officers asylum

The Norwegian ambassador to Ankara has been summoned to Turkey’s foreign ministry after Norway granted political asylum to five former Turkish military officers allegedly involved in a July coup attempt, a ministry spokesperson said.


The asylum seekers, who had been ordered to return to Turkey, include a former military attache and four military officers who worked at a NATO education centre in Norway, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday.

"It is saddening and unacceptable to see an allied country supporting the efforts of individuals who were recalled from their state duty and who abused the political, social, and economic resources of their country of residence instead of returning to Turkey," said a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu.

Newspaper Verdens Gang said the group feared being arrested in Turkey.

In 2016, 89 people from Turkey applied for asylum in Norway - with peaks in September and October when 17 and 28 people sought shelter respectively.
  aljazeera.com, News agencies
23/3/17