Turkey fully committed to NATO: Defense minister

Duvar English

Turkey is fully committed to NATO, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said, as he defended the country's military operation in northern Syria against the People's Protection Units (YPG).

"We continue our full-throated commitment to NATO and we continue to back up that commitment financially and with the efforts of our brave troops," Akar said in a piece he penned for Euronews on Nov. 29.

In his piece titled "Turkey is a leading NATO member. It’s time this commitment was recognized, not criticized" ahead of next week's NATO summit, Akar said the thought that Turkey rejects the alliance via its military offensive in Syria is "wrong-headed" and a "misinterpretation of the facts of our situation."

"Turkey continues to exhibit its commitment to NATO in the most meaningful ways a country can," he said, adding that Ankara "firmly believes that NATO is tremendously relevant and should be bolstered, ensuring it can function effectively and in a spirit of genuine alliance."

"We also provide resources, including Incirlik Air Base, a critical staging ground for Coalition counter terrorism operations in the region. Our NATO community knows us; they’ve planned with us, been on-the-ground with us on combat missions the world over, and we share intelligence and coordinate counter terrorism efforts every day. This alliance, in its best form, would be working with us, finding ways to solve Turkey’s serious security concerns together, and standing with us," Akar said.

"While our NATO allies have fought terrorists with determination in many parts of the globe, in one case, they have shirked their duty. We repeatedly proposed establishing a safe zone with our NATO partners and we agreed on plans together with the U.S. that weren’t followed through on. Action was needed and although we sought a collective approach, ultimately, we were left going it alone," he added.

The minister was referring to Turkey's offensive in northern Syria that aimed to clear the border from the YPG and set up a safe zone for the return of over one million Syrian refugees.

The incursion was slammed by Turkey's Western allies, particularly the U.S. due to the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) being Washington's main ally in the fight against ISIS.

Turkey perceives the YPG as a terrorist group due to its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - a group designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.

"For years, Turkey called on its allies to help clear a corridor run by a terrorist group along our border that posed a serious threat to our national security and regional stability. The activities of this group, the YPG - the Syrian wing of the PKK, an internationally-designated terror group that has killed 40,000 of our citizens - included ushering ISIS prisoners toward Turkey and digging tunnels into Turkish soil to smuggle explosives to commit their heinous acts of terror," Akar said in the piece.

"Most of our allies refused to help us identify and pursue a solution to the very real security crisis we faced with the YPG, leaving us on our own to put up a defense and then condemned us for doing just that," he added.

Dismissing criticisms regarding Turkish troops not being careful towards civilians, Akar said that the country "has taken every precaution to prevent civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, including historic and cultural sites."

"We are working in northern Syria to restore basic services for the local population; repairing and equipping hospitals, water networks and the power grid. Turkey’s fight is not against the Kurds, our previous actions have exhibited this without equivocation," he added.

"For years now in Syria, Turkey has led the Coalition military effort against ISIS by air and ground, with our army as the only NATO military to have fought hand-to-hand combat with ISIS in northern Syria."

Saying that there will always be threats, whether they be state or non-state, Akar noted that "we have been and will be safer when like-minded nations are allied, that NATO has made us all safer."

"NATO is a resilient and agile organisation that has shown it can evolve to changing times and the demands they bring. In the meantime, we are here, we are allied," he said.