NATO chief praises Türkiye's 'vital role' in alliance, says Ankara has sovereign right to work with BRICS

TALLINN

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday praised Türkiye for playing a "vital role" in the alliance's southeastern flank and for providing key capabilities, saying Ankara has the "sovereign right" to work with BRICS partners.

"Let's not forget that Türkiye is a very important ally in the alliance. It has one of the best-equipped military forces in NATO. It plays a vital role in its part of the NATO geography. It provides a lot of capabilities to NATO as a whole," Rutte said in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

His remarks came in response to a question about Türkiye's ties with the BRICS group, as the intergovernmental organization's 16th summit is underway in Russia's Kazan.

Rutte expressed pleasure that Türkiye has been "for so many years now" an integral part of the 32-member NATO alliance, which it joined in 1952.

"There will always be debates" within the alliance, he acknowledged, but underlined that Türkiye has "the sovereign right" to work with some BRICS partners, which "might lead to debates now and then, within bilaterally or within NATO."

"But that doesn't mean that Türkiye is not ... it is still and it will always be, to my absolute conviction ... very popular in NATO," Rutte said, adding: "We have to make sure that we make maximum use of each other, and we are so happy that they are an ally of ours."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier Tuesday that his country "sincerely" wants to improve its cooperation with the BRICS group.

The NATO chief also addressed claims of North Korean troops being deployed to support Russia's war in Ukraine, saying South Korea will send experts to brief the alliance on the issue next week.

"If that would be the case, if they would be sending troops to Ukraine, that would mark a significant escalation," Rutte warned, though he added he cannot yet confirm the claims.

Rutte is visiting Estonia, where he is set to address troops at the Tapa Army Base on Wednesday and meet with Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.