ANKARA (Realist English). Turkey’s position in NATO may be under threat. Taha Özhan, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister of Turkey (2014-2016) and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament (2015-2018), wrote about this in an article for Middle East Eye.
“Ankara’s recent move to oppose the expansion of NATO shows the dangers of being in the eye of any storm that develops. The debate has now shifted to talk of Turkey solving its problems with the US. However, it is also complicated by the reality that resolving the NATO enlargement issue may leave Turkey more vulnerable to the Russian threat.
At the same time, there are risks that go beyond the continuing problematic relations with NATO, which may even reach the point that Turkey’s position in the alliance will be under threat. The Russian problem will likely continue into the near future, and Ankara must maintain its position in NATO to protect its security interests,” Özhan said.
According to the analyst, “Turkey continues to confront numerous regional threats,” so “it is time for NATO, the EU and the US to initiate a dialogue with Ankara”:
“Something needs to be done about Russia’s sustained presence in Syria and its ongoing provocations.”
“With NATO’s ongoing enlargement, a full-blown crisis could erupt if Turkey does not receive a meaningful response to its security concerns. For Nato, this will mean an inability to respond to a post-Cold War Russian threat, while for Turkey, it means putting its last functional relationship with western countries at risk,” the expert threatened.
Özhan also stressed that Turkish President Recep Erdogan is ready for a dialogue with the United States and the resumption of negotiations on EU membership.
