Türkiye joined NATO on February 18, 1952 (Al Jazeera)

ANKARA

- Turkey represents a unique strategic player on the geopolitical chessboard of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), thanks to its sensitive geographical location that straddles the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and its pivotal role in regional and global security issues.

Returning to the story of its joining NATO, we find that Turkey’s endeavor to join the ranks of the alliance was manifested in strengthening its relations with the West, especially with the United States. It later formed a fundamental pillar of Turkey's defensive deterrence strategy, especially in the face of the danger posed by the Soviet Union's huge nuclear weapons arsenal during the Cold War.

Turkey submitted its initial request to join NATO in 1950, but it was not accepted, as some Western European countries, especially France and Britain, opposed its request for fear that Ankara’s geographical location next to the turbulent Middle Eastern countries would cause NATO to become involved in conflicts that these European countries did not want. In engaging in it, reflecting a bias in security commitments according to the geopolitical interests of European countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his participation in a previous NATO summit in Brussels (Reuters)

A token of friendship

Coinciding with the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Turkey sought to offer a token of friendship with the alliance and enhance its chances of joining it by sending forces including 4,500 soldiers to the Korean Peninsula, but a second request it submitted in August of the same year was also rejected.

In the end, the United States pushed hard to obtain approval for Turkey to join the alliance, based on the urgent need to secure NATO's southeastern borders, and Ankara joined it on February 18, 1952.

Turkey hosts important NATO military facilities such as Incirlik Air Base, and actively engages in cooperation and partnership programs with it, strengthening its position on the international stage. Its membership also constitutes an important element in international efforts to combat terrorism, especially after the alliance expanded its operations in this field following the September 11 attacks.

Turkey's regional relations represent a major point of interest for the alliance, as Ankara plays a role in supporting regional stability and improving relations with neighboring countries. These efforts are highlighted in Turkey's contributions to NATO operations in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Bahrain, and gain doubly important in light of the ongoing regional crises.

Turkey's Incirlik Air Base is one of NATO's most important military facilities (Reuters)

essential pillar

In his statements to Al Jazeera Net, Baqi Lalioglu, a political researcher at the SITA Research Center, considers the partnership between Turkey and NATO to be an essential and indispensable pillar.

Lalioglu explains that Turkey, with its second largest army in the alliance and its strategic location on the global map, makes indispensable contributions to securing NATO's southeastern borders.

He adds that its unique location as a meeting point between Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and its geographical neighborhood with Russia, strengthen its position as a factor of stability and balance of power in the Black Sea region and the eastern Mediterranean.

The relationship between Ankara and NATO is not limited only to the military and security aspects, but also includes diplomatic and economic relations, especially with Russia, as Turkey pursues a policy of balancing its alliance obligations and its commercial and energy relations with Moscow, which adds importance to its position within the alliance.

Turkey is working to expand its influence and confirm its presence in the international community, with its need to engage in a strong global alliance that supports its efforts to combat terrorism and address the resulting challenges.

Turkey also found support from NATO allies in facing the repercussions resulting from the war in Syria and its solidarity with the Syrian opposition, especially after the downing of a Turkish intelligence plane in 2012, which reflected a change in the alliance’s positions towards Ankara compared to the past.

The alliance pledged to secure Turkey against any threats from Syria, and as a result, Patriot air defense systems were deployed on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Lalioglu believes that the historical and institutional ties between Turkey and NATO are very strong, as there are no fundamental problems obstructing these relations as they are based on mutual cooperation, which creates an importance that cannot be overlooked for both sides.

Challenges

The political researcher adds that the main challenge for NATO relates to changes in the global security strategy of the United States, which is considered the military, political and economic leader of the alliance, as the shift towards focusing on the Pacific region and turning towards China requires the European member states of NATO to take greater responsibility for their security.

However, due to its military capabilities, the size of its army, its experience in the field, and its geostrategic and geopolitical position, Turkey remains an indispensable partner for Europe, especially in light of recent events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine that have increased Europe’s awareness of security threats.

Lalioglu points out that the problems associated with Turkey within NATO are bilateral with other countries in the alliance, and not with NATO itself as an institution. For example, it can be said that the differences with Washington over Syria, the issues of the F-35 aircraft and S-400 missiles, and relations with Russia are bilateral issues and not issues with NATO as a whole.

The issue of Sweden joining NATO has been a difficult challenge, yet it seems to be more intertwined with relations with the United States rather than with NATO in general. Turkey agreed to Sweden's accession after fulfilling some expectations related to the fight against terrorism, especially with regard to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Stockholm's efforts in this regard.

Lalioglu pointed out the points of disagreement between Ankara and Washington regarding relations with Moscow. Despite the complex history between Turkey and Russia, diplomacy at the leadership level has put Turkey in a unique position within NATO that enables it to establish non-hostile relations with Russia. This may be considered an opportunity for NATO to maintain peace with Moscow, but the negative position taken by the United States may hinder that opportunity.

Analysts believe that Turkey is no longer a marginalized country within NATO, but has demonstrated in recent years its ability to impose its opinion and protect its interests guaranteed by treaties and charters, and they attribute this to the development that Ankara is witnessing in the industrial and economic fields and its calculated interventions in countries that may pose a threat to its security. The nationalist.

Sweden's refusal to join the alliance except under conditions it imposed, in addition to its relationship with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which the rest of NATO countries classify as a "terrorist movement," was clear evidence of the amount of power Turkey enjoys within the alliance.

Source: Al Jazeera