Ankara's NATO role questioned
Turkey's growing ties to Iran and opposition to NATO missile defenses targeting Tehran are raising "many doubts about Turkey's future" among officials in the alliance, Greece's No. 2 defense official says.
"I'm a bit pessimistic about the Turkish future," Greek Deputy Defense Minister Panagiotis A. Beglitis said in an interview with The Washington Times. Mr. Beglitis was in Washington on Thursday for meetings with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and other Pentagon officials.
Mr. Beglitis said Turkey's government recently "objected to mentioning Iran as a potential threat in a NATO text concerning" missile- defense doctrine.
"Also, they objected very, very recently to [the Security Council] of the United Nations concerning sanctions against Iran. They voted against sanctions. That's the reality. We have to pay attention to that," he said.
Mr. Beglitis said he does not know what the future holds for Turkey's place within NATO, but he said Greece "share the same concerns with many, many colleagues within the alliance."
Greek Deputy Defense Minister Panagiotis A. Beglitis says he is concerned about the Turkish government's growing ties with Iran. In an interview Thursday, he said it may have an impact on the NATO alliance. (Associated Press)Greek Deputy Defense Minister Panagiotis A. Beglitis says he is concerned about the Turkish government's growing ties with Iran. In an interview Thursday, he said it may have an impact on the NATO alliance. (Associated Press)
"I can tell you I would not be surprised to see a Turkey outside of the Western institutions and playing an autonomous strategic role in the whole region."
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Inside Turkey, Mr. Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, has earned support from Turks for its handling of the country's growing economy. The AKP government's gradual weakening of the country's secular foundations, however — as well as its growing relations with Iran and Syria — are raising concerns in the West.
"The signs so far are alarming," said Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis, in a speech Thursday before the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa. "It looks as though the present rulers of Turkey have decided to reverse the processes which began with the creation of the Turkish republic and to turn in another direction."
Mr. Lewis said he could envision "a not-impossible situation in which Turkey and Iran may change places, in which Turkey becomes the Islamic republic and Iran becomes the Western democracy..."
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