By Satuk Buğra Kutlugün
ANKARA
Turkey will decide on the deployment of troops to the Central African Republic and Mali only when the parliament approves the peacekeeping missions, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had said late Monday that Turkey was considering a parliamentary motion to decide whether to send the UN-approved EU peacekeeping missions to the two African countries.
The motion is yet to be presented at Turkey’s parliament, the Grand National Assembly.
Bilgic at a press briefing elaborated on Arinc’s statement and said that Turkey always acted to support Europe and the Atlantic's territorial security.
"Turkey contributes to the common security and defense policies of the EU," he said.
The spokesperson said the number of Turkish troops and other deployment details would be decided only when the parliamentary motion gets approved.
Turkey has been invited to join two EU missions; the European Union Force RCA mission in the Central African Republic’s capital Bangui and the European Union's Training Mission mission or the EUTM-Mali in the west-African country.
Christians, who account for the majority of the country's population in CAR, accuse Muslims of supporting former Seleka rebels blamed for attacking Christian homes, looting property and carrying out summary executions.
In September, the 12,000-troop UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA began their deployment in the troubled central African country.
The UNSC had adopted a resolution in 2012 that authorized the deployment of the Africa-led International Support mission to Mali known as AFISMA.
In early 2013, France sent troops to Mali and, with the help of Chadian and other African forces, flushed out the Islamist militants from the country's main northern cities.
In recent weeks, however, armed groups in northern Mali have stepped up their attacks on peacekeeping forces.
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