1 June 2022
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized NATO allies for overlooking Turkey’s contributions to the military bloc when there are no threats to their national security, as Ankara opposes Sweden and Finland’s membership for their support of terrorist groups that threaten Turkey’s national security.
In an exclusive article written for the British weekly The Economist on Monday, Erdoğan said his country’s increased defensive capacity has contributed to the alliance’s resilience and strength.
“Whereas our partners have always appreciated Turkish contributions to NATO’s collective security mission, they quickly forgot about them when there were no threats to their national security. Our partners who only remember Turkey’s importance in turbulent times, such as the crisis in the Balkans, mistakenly thought that long-term stability could be achieved without Turkey,” he said.
“Thus, after the elimination of the immediate threat, they disregarded geopolitical realities and the potential threats that might emerge in the region. Needless to say, such pipe dreams turned out to be short-lived as a result of international crises,” he explained.
Noting that threats to international peace and security have recently changed, which led many to believe that NATO was an “obsolete” organization, that ceased to serve its purpose, Erdoğan said even the French president said in 2019 that the bloc was experiencing “brain death.” He continued by saying that the same individuals questioned Turkey’s role in NATO, which he said cost the alliance many years.
The president continued by saying that Turkey did not think the short sighted and occasionally reckless attitudes of some member states reflect the position of NATO as a bloc, adding that Ankara underlined the importance of the alliance and called on member states to take necessary steps.
