WASHINGTON, Nov 6:Turkey should remain in NATO despite disputes within the alliance’s ranks, but in today’s world alliances do not mean much, Turkey’s Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council member Nursin Atesoglu Guney told Sputnik.
“In today’s world alliances do not mean much,” Guney said. “But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be in NATO. We should be in numerous organizations, we should have diversification in that sense? but Turkey has drawn its lessons from this eight years old Syrian conflict.”
Guney was referring to speculations that Turkey might revise its commitments to NATO amid criticism from Western allies about its military operation in northeastern Syria and rapprochement with Russia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that he did not question Turkey’s membership in the alliance despite Ankara’s offensive in Syria. Stoltenberg said despite the fact Turkish actions were condemned by many in NATO, he still saw Ankara as an important ally and player in the region. The NATO chief also praised Turkey for playing a key role in the weakening of the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia).
“As I said, alliances are flexible in today’s world,” Guney told Sputnik. “However, this doesn’t mean that we de-evaluate the importance of NATO. We are there, are influential and there is no article that makes us depart NATO. It has never happened in the history of NATO.”
In NATO’s decision-making process, which works by consensus, Turkey is like any other member and holds a veto power, Guney added.
(AGENCIES)
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