Turkey had adopted the Law on the Prevention of Financing the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction on 27 December 2020, with the desire not to be graylisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global finance watchdog established within the OECD. Despite the law, against which many sectors, especially the National Vision organizations, reacted, FATF put Turkey on the gray list for its shortcomings in preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism.
The Bill on the Prevention of Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction was approved by the parliament at the end of last year, and the step in question caused great reactions. There was a reaction from different segments of the public against the law, which was worried that it would adversely affect aid organizations, and in the process when the law was presented as a proposal.
"If the law is passed, the labeling of NGOs as terrorism will be left to the discretion of UNSC rapporteurs," it was stated.
NATIONAL OPINION ORGANIZATIONS STOOD AGAINST IT
The National Opinion Organizations (MILKO), which made a statement during the period when the "Law on the Prevention of Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" was still in the proposal stage, stated that the said law proposal should be withdrawn and, "Today, the draft 'Law on the Prevention of Financing the Propagation of Weapons of Mass Destruction', which will restrict the work of our non-governmental organizations, foundations and associations, is being discussed in the parliament. This bill, which is extremely objectionable and restricts the work of NGOs at home and abroad, should be withdrawn immediately. As National Opinion organizations, these regulations, which make certain decisions of NGOs and the UN Security Council directly enforceable in domestic law, are in line with the demands of global powers by our organizations, which carry out our nation's understanding of aid and aid in all oppressed geographies, both in the country and abroad, with great effort and devotion. We announce to the public that we do not accept this bill, which may result in a fait accompli and cease their activities," it was said.
FATF'S DECISION IS DECLARED
Despite all the reactions to the bill named “Law on the Prevention of Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction”, the proposal was accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. One of the reasons for this step Turkey took against NGOs was the desire not to be on the "grey list" by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global finance watchdog established within the OECD. Despite this decision of Turkey in favor of global powers, a scandalous decision was taken by the FATF. The decision on Turkey by the Financial Action Task Force, which has 39 members, was announced on Thursday. The FATF announced that Turkey has been placed on the gray list, which requires stricter monitoring because of its shortcomings in preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.
REACTION FROM THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
FATF President Marcus Pleyer, who made a statement regarding the inclusion of Turkey on the “grey list” by FATF, "Turkey must demonstrate that it effectively deals with complex money laundering cases and is determined to open investigations into the financial financing of organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, designated by the United Nations as terrorist organisations," it was stated.
The first reaction to the decision of the Financial Action Task Force on Turkey came from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. Reminding that Turkey enacted the "Law on the Prevention of Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" on 27 December 2020, taking into account the report prepared by the FATF, the Ministry stated that Turkey's gray list "results in an undeserved result".
IT APPEARS AGAIN THAT THE WEST CANNOT BE TRUSTED
Despite Turkey's adoption of the Law on the Prevention of the Financing of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the decision taken by the FATF has once again demonstrated that the West cannot be trusted. Social policy expert İsmail Mansur Özdemir, who made a statement to our newspaper on the subject, said that it is significant that the step of FATF coincided with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's African visits and the announcement of the cooperation package with Afghanistan. Reminding that the Law on the Prevention of the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction No. 7262 was imposed by the FATF, Özdemir stated that the current situation is proof that the West cannot be trusted. On the other hand, Özdemir also stated that the decision had a purely political nature.