He recalled his country's contributions and warned against double standards
Erdogan: Turkey is a mainstay in "NATO" and its interests must be taken into consideration
Erdogan believes that the relationship between NATO members is based on common interests.
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Big differences known to the alliance before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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The war in Ukraine challenged conventional wisdom about the rules-based international order, great-power competition and Euro-Atlantic security.
The recent developments also brought about a new spirit in the "NATO" alliance, which is arguably the greatest military alliance in history.
Turkey has been a proud and indispensable ally in the Alliance for 70 years.
Our country joined the alliance in 1952, after sending troops to Korea to defend democracy and freedom.
During and after the Cold War, Turkey was a stabilizing force and a force for good in the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Black Sea.
Turkish forces were also deployed in many parts of the world, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, as part of NATO's missions.
At the same time, our country has invested billions of dollars in its defense industry, which has strengthened its defense capacity.
This additional capacity led to the development of military products, which made an impact on various warfields, including Ukraine.
Enhance the flexibility of the alliance
In fact, Turkey's increased capacity has also contributed to NATO's resilience and strength.
While our partners have always valued Turkish contributions to NATO's collective security mission, they quickly forgot about it 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 believed that long-term stability could be achieved without Turkey.
Thus, after eliminating the immediate threat, they ignored the geopolitical realities and potential threats that might arise in the region.
Needless to say, these false dreams did not last long as a result of international crises.
Threats to international peace and security have changed in recent years, leading many to believe that NATO is an "obsolete" organization that has ceased to serve its purpose.
Even (French President) Emmanuel Macron said in 2019 that the alliance was suffering "brain death".
The same people questioned Turkey's role within NATO.
This combination of extraordinary wishful thinking and extreme strategic short-sightedness cost the coalition several years.
However, Turkey refused to believe that the short-sighted and sometimes reckless positions of some member states reflected the position of NATO as a whole.
On the contrary, we stressed the importance of the Alliance, and called on member states to take the necessary steps, including modernizing NATO's mission to cover emerging threats, and making the organization more relevant to new geopolitical and global challenges.
This call was in line with our nation's response to the deepening instability in the international system, too.
repairs
In this sense, Turkey said that NATO - like all other international organizations - has to implement certain reforms to deal with emerging security threats.
With regard to terrorism, specifically, the lack of collective action, despite direct attacks against many member states, has undermined security cooperation and fueled deep mistrust among NATO citizens about the organization.
Turkey has highlighted this trend at all NATO summits and emphasized that international cooperation is vital in the fight against terrorism.
We wanted NATO to cooperate better on intelligence and military issues when dealing with terrorist organizations, not just to prevent terrorist attacks;
But, also, to reduce terrorist financing and recruitment within the alliance's borders.
We remain committed to this position.
legitimate demands
Likewise, we have made legitimate and necessary demands to NATO, with the outbreak of multiple civil wars in Turkey's neighborhood, to ensure the security of our borders and airspace as well as human security, as the largest wave of refugees since World War II has appeared in the region.
With our country largely abandoned, Turkey handled all these crises on its own and paid a heavy price in that effort.
Ironically, any steps taken under the umbrella of "NATO" would have prepared the alliance for future conflicts and crises on its borders.
The new situation that emerged from the war in Ukraine proves that Turkey's expectations and calls were accurate.
And some member states, suddenly realizing Turkey's geopolitical position because this conflict had caused widespread turmoil, saw that our nation was right to take certain steps in the past.
Turkey was right to ask NATO members to prepare for the geopolitical challenges ahead, and despite those who argued that NATO was irrelevant, Turkey was absolutely right that the organization would be increasingly important.
Estimation failed
Given that all NATO allies accept the critical importance of Turkey to the alliance, it is unfortunate that some members completely fail to appreciate some of the threats to our country.
Turkey asserts that accepting Sweden and Finland poses risks to its security and the future of the organization.
We have every right to expect those countries, which expect NATO's second largest army to come to their defense under Article 5, to prevent the recruitment, fundraising, and propaganda activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which the European Union and the United States consider a terrorist entity.
Turkey wants the candidate countries to rein in the activities of all terrorist organizations and extradite the members of these organizations.
We provided clear evidence to the authorities in these countries and waited for action to be taken.
Turkey also wants these countries to support anti-terror operations carried out by NATO members.
Terrorism is a threat to all members, and candidate countries must realize this reality before joining.
Unless they take the necessary steps, Turkey will not change its position on this issue.
Moreover, Turkey maintains that all forms of arms embargoes - such as the one that Sweden has imposed on my country - are incompatible with the spirit of military partnership under the NATO umbrella.
These restrictions not only undermine our national security, but also harm the identity of NATO.
Sweden and Finland's insistence on joining the alliance added an unnecessary element to the NATO agenda.
Turkey's objection to the admission of Sweden and Finland, which remained neutral until the latest developments, is a critical step taken on behalf of all countries targeted by terrorist organizations thus far.
In the end, terrorism has no religion, nation or color.
For each member state to stand decisively against any organization that aims to harm the civilian population is one of NATO's primary goals.
No country enjoys any privilege in this regard.
Shortcuts
And when it comes to solving problems and promoting global peace and security, there may not always be short cuts.
However, the path to success can be shortened by taking bold and necessary steps along the way.
The position of Sweden and Finland on the national security concerns and considerations of other countries with which they wish to be allies will determine to what extent Turkey wishes to be an ally with these countries.
The ignorance and curiosity of those who dare question the relationship between Turkey, which has adopted a positive and constructive approach regarding the expansion of the Alliance in the past, and NATO;
Our position does not change.
Our country, which is open to all forms of diplomacy and dialogue, strongly recommends directing this focus, instead, to persuading candidates to change their positions.
No one can dictate to Ankara what to do about any country that does not wish to fight terrorism.
We believe that the Alliance's reputation and credibility will be in jeopardy if NATO members follow double standards when it comes to fighting terrorism.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey
• “Given that all (NATO) allies accept the critical importance of Turkey to the alliance, it is unfortunate that some members completely fail to appreciate some of the threats to our country."
Threats to international peace and security have changed in recent years, leading many to believe that NATO is an "obsolete" organization that has ceased to serve its purpose.
Turkey's increased capacity has contributed to NATO's resilience and strength.
While our partners have always valued Turkish contributions to NATO's collective security mission, they quickly forgot about it when there were no threats to their national security.
With regard to terrorism, specifically, the lack of collective action, despite direct attacks against many member states, has undermined security cooperation and fueled deep mistrust among NATO citizens about the organization.
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