Tag: NATO members

Why is Turkey still in NATO?

It is obvious that the Erdogan’s Republic of Türkiye has always played a double game.

epa01389608 French soldiers of NATO\’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol Arghandab district, Afghanistan after NATO and Afghan military forces have driven out hundreds of Taliban militants from around restive Kandahar, Afghanistan, 20 June 2008. At least 57 Taliban insurgents were killed and dozens more were wounded as NATO and Afghan forces drove out militants who had recently infiltrated several villages in the southern province of Kandahar, officials said 19 June 2008. EPA/HUMAYOUN SHIAB

A NATO presence but also special relations with Putin’s Russia. It seems that between dictators, we like to stick together …

On September 12, 2017, the Republic of Türkiye signed a contract with Russia for the purchase of S-400 systems for an amount of 2.5 billion dollars with delivery initially scheduled for 2020.

On this occasion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, “We alone make decisions that fall under our independence.”

However, NATO, and more particularly the United States, did not see it that way and believed that this decision greatly threatened the Republic of Türkiye’s ties with its Western partners as well as the security of NATO materials.

America then sanctioned the Republic of Türkiye and denied it access to the purchase of American military equipment. The Turks were thus unable to renew their aging F16s with F35s.

However, it is not possible to exclude Erdogan’s Republic of Türkiye because the Republic of Türkiye occupies a strategic position between Europe and Asia. To deprive oneself of Turkey would greatly weaken NATO.

Everyone knows this, and that is why despite all of Erdogan’s eccentricities and the fact that he plays a double game, Turkey will remain in NATO.

Sylvain Saurel’s Newsletter

February 17, 2023
Turkey advocates for Macedonia to join NATO

Expanding membership is not on the agenda of next week’s NATO summit in Chicago, but Turkey is attempting to raise the issue through an indirect meeting at the summit for Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Georgia, with a special focus on Macedonia.

”]“Macedonia’s request for membership is very just and is a contribution to the peace and stability in the Balkans,” Cemil Cicek, president of Turkey’s parliament, said during his visit in Skopje on Thursday (May 17th).

Cicek said Turkey will do everything it can to put the question of Macedonia’s entry in NATO on the table.

“The newly-created situation after the ICJ’s verdict imposes the need at the forthcoming Chicago summit to redefine the conclusion from [the summit in] Bucharest which was a result of the illegal behaviour by Greece,” Macedonia President Georgi Ivanov said.

Greek diplomacy was jolted into action again, given the support Macedonia — and Turkey’s initiative — is receiving from Great Britain, Norway, Croatia and Slovenia.

“We do not have only a problem with Greece. Some leading countries in NATO solidarised with Greece’s unjust politics, and in calling on Macedonia to change its name, they are forcing Macedonia to capitulate. They are asking the impossible of a country dedicated to NATO and its missions,” Biljana Vankovska, professor at the Institute for Security, Defence and Peace Studies, told SETimes.

Given that Greece has no government and is facing a severe political-economic crisis, the country’s political parties met to formulate a common position for the summit.

According to the transcripts provided by Greek President Karolos Papoulias, the parties agreed not to change Greece’s position in the dispute it imposed on Macedonia.

“Our arguments should be smarter than those offered in 2008. We have to strengthen them more skillfully and more intelligently,” Evangelos Venizelos, leader of PASOK, said.

They announced if there is an attempt to pose the question of Macedonia’s membership, Greece will issue a new veto, regardless of the verdict of the UN’s International Court of Justice which classified the first 2008 veto illegal.

“We must not back down from the agreement in Bucharest. In case of a surprise, certainly there should be a veto that moment,” Andonis Samaras, leader of New Democracy, said.

Dimitar Mirchev, a former ambassador and senior adviser to Macedonia’s president, said he is surprised by Athens’ open announcements to use a veto in spite of international law and Greece’s obligations under international and bilateral agreements.

“If Greece uses a veto in Chicago, conditions will be created for a new lawsuit in The Hague. Greek politicians should be aware such a development will weaken Athens’ position in the international community and will contribute to the worsening of the security of the entire region,” Mirchev told SETimes.

This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

via Turkey advocates for Macedonia to join NATO (SETimes.com).

May 19, 2012
U.S. UNDER SECRETARY WELCOMES TURKEY’S DECISION TO BUY MISSILES

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. under secretary of state
for arms control welcomed on Wednesday Turkey’s decision to purchase
missiles from the United States. Ellen Tauscher, the U.S. under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said that the United States was pleased that Turkey would buy patriot missiles from the United States.
The United States had invited all NATO members, including Turkey, to join the missile shield project on which Obama administration was to make changes, Tauscher told the AA correspondent.
Tauscher said the new system would ensure more protection to Turkey when compared with the system proposed by the previous U.S. administration.
The U.S. under secretary said that only the U.S. presence was in question in the previous system, however the new system would also be American but in addition other countries could contribute to it with “assemble-use” model and with the technologies they purchased or developed by themselves.
Therefore, the United States wanted all its allies to establish dialogue with itself to be a part of this new system, Tauscher said.
The U.S. under secretary also defined Turkey as a significant ally and strategic country.
On September 9, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a part of the U.S. Department of Defense, said the Obama administration could make a deal with Turkey to sell Patriot Advanced Capability-3 guided missile systems, which would be the biggest weapons deal ever between the two countries.
In its statement, DSCA said, the DSCA notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Turkey of 13 PATRIOT Fire Units, 72 PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles, four PAC-3 Lot Validation Missiles, 197 MIM-104E PATRIOT Guidance Enhanced Missiles-T (GEM-T), four MIM-104E GEM-T Lot Validation Missiles, five PATRIOT Digital Missiles, five Anti-Tactical Missiles and other related support and equipment. The estimated cost is 7.8 billion USD.

AA

October 8, 2009