Istanbul ( CNN ) -- Turkey 's foreign ministry condemned Texas Gov . Rick Perry Tuesday for saying that Turkey was a `` country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists . '' Perry made the statement during a spirited debated between Republican presidential candidates in South Carolina Monday night . Most of Turkey was fast asleep during the live broadcast , and Turkish newspapers had already gone to print by the time Perry declared that Turkey had moved `` far away from the country I lived in back in the 1970s United States Air Force . That was our ally that worked with us , but today we do n't see that . '' The Texas governor also argued that it was time for Washington to cut foreign aid to Ankara . A spokesman for Turkey 's foreign ministry fired back Tuesday , accusing Perry of making `` baseless and improper claims . '' In a statement e-mailed to CNN , Selcuk Unal said presidential candidates should `` be more informed about the world and be more careful their statements . '' `` The unfortunate views of Perry are not shared in any case by Republican party supporters , considering the weak support he has received in public polls and primary elections , '' Unal concluded . U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the State Department `` absolutely and fundamentally '' disagrees with Perry 's statements . Turkey is `` Islamic democracy in action , '' Toner added , calling Ankara a `` stalwart ally '' with which the United States has a `` strong partnership . '' `` I am disappointed and concerned that Turkey and its time-tested ties of alliance , partnership and friendship with the United States became the object of misplaced and ill-advised criticism during last night 's Republican candidates ' debate . Needless to say , the Turkey described in the debate simply does not exist , '' Turkey 's ambassador to the United States , Namik Tan , said in a statement Tuesday . He also rejected the idea that Turkey receives significant sums of foreign aid from the United States . `` Indeed , Turkey is a strong and growing trading partner with the U.S. in general , and with Texas in particular , creating thousands of jobs throughout that state , '' Tan added . Top Turkish government officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday , with many of them in Northern Cyprus for the funeral of veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas , but the country 's largely-tabloid press wasted no time in responding to the comments on websites early Tuesday morning . `` The debate that the Republican candidate Rick Perry attended on American Fox TV turned into a scandal that contained very ugly statements about Turkey , '' announced TRT state television . `` Rick Perry : what an idiot , '' tweeted Mustafa Akyol , a columnist with the English-language Hurriyet Daily news . The Hurriyet newspaper also posted a video on its website of Perry drawing a blank in the middle of a prior debate , forgetting in mid-sentence which was the third of three government departments he would cut if elected president . Perry 's remarks came on the same day a Turkish foreign ministry spokesman announced that a new NATO radar station , manned by Turkish and American military personnel , went online this month in the Turkish province of Malatya . The radar station is part of a controversial U.S.-led missile defense shield that both Russia and Iran have publicly opposed . For more than 50 years , Turkey has been the only Muslim member of the NATO military alliance . Ankara 's relationship with Washington has been turbulent over the last decade , with sharp divisions emerging after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq . But that relationship has improved dramatically over the last several years . Turkey has commanded the NATO mission in Afghanistan four times over the last decade , and the United States shares real-time intelligence from aerial drones for the Turkish military 's ongoing war with rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party , who operate along the mountainous border between Turkey and Iraq .
NEW : Turkey is `` Islamic democracy in action , '' State Dept . spokesman says . The U.S. has been trying to get the Turks and Kurds together for years Turkey 's foreign ministry says Perry made `` baseless '' claims . The relationship between Ankara and Washington has improved recently .