Turkey at center of NATO geopolitics: Official

ANKARA

A senior Turkish official has described Turkey as the center of future NATO geopolitics and stressed that its contribution to the global peace and stability through the alliance will continue, as Ankara is celebrating its 70th anniversary at the Brussels-based defense pact.

“Turkey is a country at the center of the NATO’s future geopolitics. Turkey is a part of NATO as it should symbolize the security and stability in the international arena, not because the bi-polar or multipolar world system obliges,” Fahrettin Altun, the head of Communications Directorate, said at a conference in Ankara on Feb. 17 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Turkey’s joining the NATO in Ankara.

Turkey’s appeal to join the NATO was accepted by the alliance in February 1952. It has been defending the alliance’s southern flank over the decades while participating in different missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

“Turkey has never hesitated to take part in the missions in the different corners of the world. Turkey has been avoiding to criticize the NATO for over 70 years and found criticisms against the NATO baseless. It sought to resolve the problems it has with member countries under the NATO roof,” Altun stated. Even in the most difficult times, Turkey has kept NATO atop its security and foreign policy, he noted.

Turkey’s approach towards NATO has three main pillars, the communications director underlined, stressing, “Let’s first openly express this: Turkey has always regarded the NATO as a strategic and valuable alliance. It has attached importance to NATO’s contribution to peace and stability not only to the member states but also to entire global politics.”

Turkey has sure ties with non-NATO countries but they can never be counted as alternative to NATO, Altun recalled.

Secondly, Turkey has never seen that some crises within the alliance drive from the NATO’s institutional structure but from differing expectations of the allied nations over time, he said. He commended the fact that the alliance could always resolve in-house problems thanks to its institutional capacity and strategic reality.

“Thirdly, NATO should constantly find ways to renew itself in line with changing international conditions. It’s crystal clear that no institution can endure its existence if it fails to adapt with the new conditions,” Altun said.

Turkey one of most active allies

The official informed that Turkey has been one of the most active and dynamic allies in the past seven decades and is among the top eight nations financially contributing to the alliance. It is also among five top nations contributing to NATO’s operations and missions, he said.

On the fight against terror, Turkey has been one of the nations successfully struggling against all different terror organizations including ISIL and the YPG in Syria, Altun said.

“But it could not receive the support it is expecting from the NATO allies,” he said, indirectly slamming the United States for its continued support to the YPG in the fight against ISIL.

“Fight against terror and humanitarian security matters should find larger space within NATO’s new security conceptualization. Terror, climate and pandemic should be part of the NATO’s new mission,” he added.