The long-lived ambition of Turkey to side with the Western world was realized when it joined
NATO in February 1952. This achievement, however, had not come with an easy process.
After being diplomatically declined for its first two attempts to affiliate with NATO,
Turkey was able to join the military alliance only after the dispatch of its troops to assist United
States in the 1950 Korean War. Since then, Turkey has been regarded as one of the most valuable
members of NATO. The challenges and the changing nature of future geopolitics begs a question,
to what extent is actually the influence of Turkey to NATO?
Hello everyone. Welcome back again to another episode of Military TV. In today’s session,
we will discuss the importance of Turkey in the world’s biggest military alliance.
Turkey did not involve itself in World War II, and for this reason,
the post-war era had Turkey feeling powerless in the face of Soviet confrontation. The repetitive
offense made by the Soviets to gain control over Turkish Straits has forced Turkey to look for a
Security Umbrella under the Western world. Turkey realized that it can no longer rely on itself
and siding with the Western world has become an imperative decision to the nation’s survival.
Despite the assistance offered by the U.S. administration to fortify Turkish military
and defense through Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, the Turks believe that joining NATO would
provide them with long-lasting security within the region. Unfortunately, both of Turkey’s attempts
to join NATO in February 1950 and August 1950 have met no positive outcome. Some Europeans argue
that opening up to Turkey will incite another standoff and armed conflict with the Soviets.
However, when the Korean War erupted in 1950, an opportunity came for Turkey to
prove its allegiance to the Western world. Upon receiving invitation to provide military aid to
South Korea through United Nations Resolution 83, Turkey decided to dispatch 5000 troops to
fight North Korea and the People’s Republic of China under the UN command. It can be seen that
the heroism and contribution of Turkish Brigade in the Korean War has ensured the Western bloc
of Turkish deep interest towards NATO. Besides, some European leaders believed that in the case
of Soviets aggressions, Turkish lands can serve as military bases to balance the Soviets power.
This resolute effort leads to the accession of Turkey to NATO precisely on February 18, 1952.
Together with Greece, Turkey formally became the new member of NATO.
So, what is actually the mutual benefit of this partnership?
It cannot be denied that obtaining NATO membership was a huge privilege for Turkey since it provided
not only a security umbrella to Turkish military power and defense, but it also allowed Turkey
to cement various partnerships with developed Western countries who have advanced defense system
and equipment. Boasted as the most successful military alliance the history ever recorded,
NATO’s primary commitment to assure the security of its member can be
found in the 5th article of the NATO treaty, a principle widely known as collective defense,
which regarded an attack to one member of NATO to be an attack to all of the members.
Since becoming the NATO member, Turkey has always been regarded as one of the countries
with tremendous contribution to the organization. For instance, as a key alliance, Turkey hosts
NATO Ballistic Missile Defense architecture in the small town of Kurecik in eastern Malatya province.
In Aegean Sea, Turkey maintains its essential naval assistance to NATO missions through
surveillance, reconnaissance, and monitoring activities to counter illegal crossings.
In fact, Turkey has the second-largest standing army and outnumbers France,
Germany and United Kingdom in terms of soldiers, tanks, or military aircrafts.
On the other hand, geographically, the location of Turkey serves as a critical point of NATO since
it directly neighbors Iraq, Syrian and Lebanon. With the geographical significance, Turkey also
plays a central role in fighting terrorism and handling the serious issue of refugee crisis.
However, Turkey’s position in NATO is not without criticism and other several contestations.
Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian air defence system S-400 has resulted in severe backlash from
fellow NATO members. Some even conveyed their deep concerns whether Turkey still embraces the
same vision with NATO. In its own defense, Turkey claimed that since NATO does not accommodate an
anti-aircraft weapon system to them, they have to acquire the S-400 from Russian because it is
an indispensable apparatus for Turkish defence. The Turkish president, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
even reiterated the statement made by NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg defending Turkish
unilateral decision to purchase S-400. In his statement, Stoltenberg argued that the acquisition
of weapon was a sovereign decision made by Turkey and should not be interfered by NATO.
These clashes between the two parties might indicate Turkey’s dismissal from NATO. However,
kicking Turkey out of NATO can result in a serious complication of NATO’s strategic interest,
and the powerful Turkey might align with Russia, balancing the indomitable power of NATO. Besides,
Turkey controls the influx of Middle Eastern refugees into Europe, an extremely critical
role where Turkey has the power to control the number of people fleeing to European countries,
but it has also the power to incite a flood of refugees to Europe.
After all, despite the frictions and disputes between NATO and Turkey,
NATO has to admit that Turkey remains imperative to their strategic interest. Not only because the
geographical importance, Turkey can also act as a bridge for NATO’s partnership with the Balkan
region and the Central Asia. That’s all for
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