'We need Turkey's voice,' NATO's Rasmussen says

Rasmussen’s comments, made during a meeting with a group of Turkish journalists in Brussels on Thursday, come amid calls from US conservative politicians and others that Turkey’s membership in NATO should be questioned, especially in the aftermath of a crisis in its relations with Israel.

“I know that Turkey is strongly committed to our alliance. I appreciate very much the significant Turkish contributions to our operations in the Balkans, in Kosovo. Turkey contributes to Afghanistan, contributed to Libya and recently it announced it would host a missile defense facility,” Rasmussen said. “Across the board, Turkey contributes significantly and plays an important role within our alliance. It is my clear assessment that Turkey will continue to play such an important role,” not only in its region but also in the Euro-Atlantic region. “In this respect, we need the voice of Turkey,” he said.

Rasmussen said Turkey’s role remained unchanged after the Cold War era. “During the Cold War, Turkey played a crucial role. After the Cold War, we have seen a new security environment and I think recent events demonstrate that Turkey still has a very important role to play. What we have seen in North Africa and the Middle East demonstrates that Turkey still can play and will play a strong role,” not only because of its geographical position but also for historical cultural religious reasons. “I consider Turkey a crucial, strong ally.”

Rasmussen also reiterated that NATO has no plans to intervene in Syria. “We are not discussing this issue. We have no intention to intervene in Syria,” the chief NATO official said when asked about NATO’s position toward a possible military intervention. “I strongly condemn the security forces’ crackdown on civilians in Syria. I urge the Syrian leaders to accommodate democratic, legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. The only way forward in Syria is to introduce freedoms, democracy and accommodate people’s legitimate aspirations,” he said.

Rasmussen also disclosed that Turkey, a strong critic of President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters, has not requested any discussion within NATO about possible military action.

The NATO secretary general also responded to questions on the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, an issue which he said NATO has no intention to intervene in. When asked whether Iran’s possible acquirement of nuclear weapons could prompt other countries in the region, including Turkey, to seek to acquire nuclear arms, Rasmussen reminded that world countries agreed decades ago that nuclear proliferation should be avoided.

Asked if this general principle applies also to Israel, he said: “I have no information whatsoever as regards Israel’s nuclear capabilities.”

NATO-EU cooperation

Rasmussen, who has worked intensively in the past for an arrangement to clear the way for closer NATO-EU military cooperation, said he will not be taking any new initiatives to Ankara during his visit next week.

Turkey is blocking further NATO-EU cooperation because of the unresolved Cyprus dispute, while EU member Greek Cyprus blocks Turkish membership in the European Defense Agency.

“I won’t bring new initiatives to Ankara during my visit. I will repeat what I said previously, that irrespective of the Cyprus conflict, I think we can find pragmatic solutions that could improve the relationship,” he said, noting that a past proposal he put forward for an arrangement between Turkey and the EU to pave the way for closer NATO-EU cooperation remains a “valid package,” a “pragmatic proposal.”

“But let’s face it. The fundamental problem here is the continued dispute in Cyprus. Realistically speaking, I don’t think we will see real progress in the cooperation between EU and NATO until there is a solution to the conflict in Cyprus,” he stated.