ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday batted back an apology from the NATO military alliance after his name appeared on an “enemy poster” at a drill, saying such disrespectful behaviour could not be so easily forgiven.

“You have seen the disrespectful behaviour at the NATO drill yesterday. There are some mistakes that are done not by fools but only by base people,” Erdogan said in a speech broadcast live on television.

“This matter cannot be covered over with a simple apology,” he said.

Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey was pulling 40 soldiers out of a NATO exercise in Norway, after his name appeared in a list of enemies on a poster at the drill. NATO and Oslo have since apologized.