Modernizing NATO Requires Dealing With Turkey Trkiyes Relations with NATO - Ministry of Foreign Affairs THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said recently, We fully anticipate that Sweden will be a member of NATO by the time of the Vilnius Summit in July. But whether Erdogan stays in power, and by how much, may determine the next steps for Swedens bid. The two accused each other of risking the alliance via developing an affinity with each others adversaries, Russia and the Syrian KurdishYPG (Peoples Protection Units), respectively. Tensions have boiled over between Turkey and NATO member-states as a result of it, it has fostered a divide between the US congress and president, and Turkey finds itself accumulating greater independence from NATO through the system itself and its many acts of strategic defiance. "They've thumbed their nose at us, and they've thumbed their nose at their other NATO allies.". A median of 10 polls conducted in April indicate that Turkish oppositions joint presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has the lead in the first round of elections with three points margin. Imagine the threat to U.S. and Israeli interests if Turkey leaves NATO and becomes another Islamist rogue state like Iran. We need Turkeys permission to blow our nose there., On the Turkish side, too, the marriage has been one of serial disappointments and misunderstandings. In response to Turkeys intervention in Syria, NATO members France, Italy, and Germany agreed to ban sales of weapons and ammunition to Turkey, yet another signal that Turkeys failure to cooperate with other members of the NATO alliance is becoming untenable. NATO has stood strong before against a Soviet Union that was stronger and possessed more influence than the threat posed by Russia today. These weapons are not like Bolshevik rifles used in Turkeys Independence War after World War One. Earlier this year, Turkey continued to aggravate NATO members by publicly backing Azerbaijans assault into the Armenian-dominated Nagorno-Karabakh region, sparking a war with Russian-backed Armenia. Con Turkeys Response to the Russia-Ukraine Crisis. Details of the attacks were gathered from a variety of sources including independent monitors, humanitarian workers, and journalists who attributed many of the 218 civilian casualties recorded by Kurdish health authorities, to indiscriminate attacks perpetuated by Turkish backed militias. Due to the wording of the NATO Treaty articles, Turkey could be suspended or expelled under the guidelines of material breach within the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which NATO members ratified once again in 2018. It is one of only five NATO states (the others being Germany, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands) storing U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on its territory. Alliance endurance is determined by alliance dependence, which is based on indispensable security benefits. Turkey insists that the Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic, unrecognized by the international community, gives them rights to access sources of natural gas within Greeces established exclusive economic zone. Turkey and Nato are no longer aligned, even if they wont admit it (2022). Turkish Aggression Is NATOs Elephant in the Room (2020). A False Protagonist: Turkish Duplicity is Undermining NATO As a sophisticated weapon system, the producer reserves the possibility to meddle with and hinder the use of the system. The changing of premises is taking place at a time when security challenges are tough in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and beyond, with NATO-Russia tension likely to escalate in the coming period. Turkeys geographic location and strong military makes it the anchor of NATOs southern flank against Russian aggression. Should a conflict erupt once more, it would be between Turkish-backed Azerbaijan and Russian-backed Armenia, presenting the potential for Turkey to, once again, be at odds with the Russian military and call for NATO aid or assistance. This article explains why Turkey cant be a leader in the region. McCarthy to Russian reporter: I do not support what your country has done to Montana legislator sues House speaker over censure. S-400s could be an important bargaining chip to reach concessions on these three major disagreements, especially considering the strong reactions of the United States to Turkeys previous deal attempt for Chinese missiles. It has fewer than 100 itself. Senators Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen are pushing bipartisan legislation to sanction Turkey over its Syria incursion; Graham has also floated suspending Turkey from NATO altogether. Since its annexation in 2014, the Crimean Peninsula has become a Russian military fortress. Status Debating Waiting for the next argument from the contender. Turkish politicians should avoid further tarnishing the image of the alliance if they want NATO and allied members to highlight Turkeys role in the defense organization. NATO-TURKEY: AN AMBIGUOUS RELATIONSHIP IN AN UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY DOMAIN (November 2021). This tension between the governments has refueled the debate on Turkey breaking up with NATO. Indeed, analysts and journalists in the United States have been questioning Turkeys ties with the alliance for a long time. Swedens NATO membership hangs in the balance with Turkeys election When Turkey goes to the polls next month, they will be doing more than deciding the Incirlik [the base the U.S. Air Force uses in southern Turkey] is an albatross, said one former senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Turkey This was the consequence of Turkey supporting Western values. The White House released a statement on the decision claiming that Turkey's purchase rendered "continued involvement with the F-35 impossible" as "the F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform." Turkish contributions to and participations in NATO activities should be better promoted in the Western media. The U.S. should adjust its Turkey may need further assurances from NATO to avoid vulnerabilities and limit possibly hostile Russian actions. RELATED: UK denies its in talks with Turkey over submarine construction, despite Erdogan comments. NATO could still maintain its presence in the Gulf States though carrier groups, thereby eliminating their reliance on Turkey. Significantly, even Turkeys controversial invasion of Cyprus in 1974 did not trigger a war with Greece, in no small part because both are NATO members. Defense Department organizations have four years to deploy seven pillars, including 45 core capabilities of zero trust. It helped that Turkey also gave the alliance a foothold close to the Middle East. For years and continuing today, Turkish forces have participated in NATO peacekeeping in Bosnia and Kosovo. If the Alliance believes that Erdogan will exploit NATO to achieve his own expansionist goals, then NATO should suspend or expel Turkey to ensure the integrity of the organization. A more complicated scenario is a split parliament, where Kilicdaroglu is president but Erdogan retains the majority. But beyond all of them an assessment of Turkeys role and place within the alliance requires a broader, holistic and historical perspective. Israel, too, will be better served if Turkey remains in NATO and, thus, a moderating influence on Islamist Erdogan, who eventually may be replaced by a secular leader. Turkey could tip the balance in the Ukraine-Russia standoff Turkey controls the flow of Middle Eastern refugees into European NATO, a crucial role whereby a friendly Turkey can help stabilize its neighbors or an unfriendly Turkey could unleash a human flood into Europe. After the United States, Turkey has the second-largest standing armed forces in NATO, with more soldiers (639,000 military, paramilitary and civilian personnel), tanks (3,200), armored fighting vehicles (9,500), artillery (2,400) and military aircraft (1,067 fighter jets, attack helicopters and transports) than Germany, France or the United Kingdom. Turkey has also paid back the alliance as a stalwart member, honoring its obligations by contributing to missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and hosting NATOs Land Command. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Turkish minister of foreign affairs also reiterated that the S-400 issue is a done deal and may not be annulled. 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