Should NATO Kick Turkey Out?

No-one wants to have to choose between having Turkey in Nato or Finland and Sweden, but it is up to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ensure that that doesn’t have to happen. That’s the view of ex-supreme allied commander of Nato James Stavridis, who, writing for Bloomberg on January 22, looks at how Turkey is taking the “counterproductive stance” of standing in the way of the Nordic nations joining the military alliance over what Ankara sees as their “support for terrorist groups among Turkey’s Kurdish minority, in particular, their refusal to extradite dozens of Kurds wanted by the government”.

Stavridis, asserting that “the great challenge to the alliance isnt terrorism: It is the unconscionable invasion of Ukraine by Russia”, writes: “At some point soon, some NATO members are going to begin asking, ‘If it is a choice between Sweden/Finland and Turkey, maybe we should look at our options.’ That would be a mistake. Turkey boasts the second-largest army in NATO, has important facilities including Incirlik Air Base, and hosts NATOs overall land-warfare command in Izmir.

“NATO needs Turkey to continue being an active and positive member. It also needs to add Finland and Sweden. No one wants to have to choose between them.”

The prospect of Turkey relenting and moving to ratify the Swedish and Finnish applications to join the defence bloc grew even more remote over the weekend when a far-right politician, Rasmus Paludan, gave an hour-long speech against Islam and immigration outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm before setting fire to a copy of the Qur’an.

The previous day, Turkey’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador over the permission granted to Paludan’s protest. It was the second time Sweden’s ambassador to Ankara has been summoned this month. Previously, the envoy had to offer explanations when on January 12 a Kurdish group was able to hang an effigy of Erdogan, outside Stockholm city hall.

On January 21, ahead of Paludan’s stunt, Ankara cancelled a January 27 visit by Sweden’s defence minister, Pal Jonson, intended to be a discussion about Turkey’s refusal to ratify Sweden’s Nato accession. Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said the meeting was cancelled because it “has lost its significance and meaning”.

“The burning of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm is a clear crime of hatred and humanity,” Ibrahim Kalin, chief adviser to Erdogan, tweeted. “We vehemently condemn this. Allowing this action despite all our warnings is encouraging hate crimes and Islamophobia. The attack on sacred values is not freedom but modern barbarism.”

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that Islamophobic provocations were appalling. “Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish Government, or myself, support the opinions expressed,” Billstrom said on Twitter.

Another factor that makes it unlikely that Erdogan will back down over his blocking of Finland and Sweden’s accession into Nato is the Turkish national elections set for May 14. Erdogan’s core vote will expect him to keep up a tough line in this foreign policy matter.

Turkey’s membership in NATO has been controversial lately. President Erdogan’s foreign policy decisions have raised questions about Turkey’s commitment to the alliance Some experts argue that Turkey no longer shares NATO’s values and interests Is it time for NATO to reconsider Turkey’s membership?

Turkey’s Actions Undermine NATO

In recent years Turkey has taken several actions that undermine NATO unity and interests

Acquiring Russian S-400 missile systems in 2019, despite opposition from NATO allies. This led to Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program.
Blocking NATO’s enlargement by refusing to ratify Sweden and Finland’s membership bids. Erdogan is demanding concessions in return for approving their membership.
Undermining efforts to contain ISIS in Syria by attacking the Syrian Democratic Forces, a key U.S. partner in fighting ISIS.
Supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, and describing them as “freedom fighters.” This counters the interests of NATO allies like Israel.
Threatening military action against Greece, a NATO ally, over territorial disputes in the Mediterranean.
Failing to prevent Russian oligarchs from evading sanctions by moving assets through the Turkish banking system.

The Case for Kicking Out Turkey

Many experts argue that Turkey’s actions justify reconsidering its NATO membership:

Turkey appears more aligned with Russia than with NATO on key issues. A majority of Turks see the U.S. as the biggest threat.
Turkey is obstructing NATO’s ability to respond to threats from Russia by blocking enlargement and undermining sanctions.
Turkey is actively undermining NATO security goals in Syria, the Mediterranean, and against terrorism.
Erdogan is using hostage diplomacy, demanding concessions in exchange for cooperating on NATO priorities like enlargement.
Turkey would likely not be admitted to NATO if it applied today. It no longer shares NATO’s values.
There’s no formal process to remove members, but experts argue NATO could declare Turkey in “material breach.”

Reasons NATO Is Unlikely to Kick Out Turkey

However, there are also arguments against removing Turkey from NATO:

It would require consensus from all NATO members, which is unlikely. Many value the strategic benefits of keeping Turkey in NATO.
Expelling a member would set a precedent that could destabilize NATO in the future.
Keeping Turkey in NATO means keeping their strategic location and large military within the alliance.
Engagement seen as better way to pull Turkey back into supporting NATO priorities, rather than alienating them.
Turkey has been a highly contributing NATO member in the past, some hope it will return to that role.

What Is The Future of Turkey’s NATO Membership?

NATO is unlikely to formally expel Turkey, but its membership will remain controversial.
Pressure on Turkey to align policies with NATO interests will continue from U.S. and other allies.
NATO could downgrade Turkey’s position – reducing intelligence sharing, excluding forces from plans or exercises.
Both sides want to avoid a complete break, so a tense but intact membership is likely short-term outcome.
Strong US and European leadership needed to either fully reengage Turkey or convince others it must leave.

In conclusion, while kicking Turkey out of NATO seems justified to some, it remains unlikely without major leadership from Washington and Brussels. The future of Turkey’s relationship with NATO remains uncertain.

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Could NATO Kick Out Turkey (to let in Sweden & Finland) – TLDR News

FAQ

How do I remove a country from NATO?

The formal process is stated in article 13 of the Treaty. This says that any country that wants to leave must send the United States (as the depositary state) a “notice of denunciation”, which the U.S. would then pass on to the other Allies. After a one-year waiting period, the country that wants to leave would be out.

Did Turkey exit NATO?

Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952, has its second largest army and is the host of the Allied Land Command headquarters. The Incirlik and Konya Airbases have both been involved in several NATO military operations since their establishment.

Can Turkey be trusted as part of NATO?

NATO is known as the most successful defense alliance in the history. The Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, the founding document of NATO that refers to collective defense constitutes a valuable security guarantee for Turkey as well as for other Allies.

Is Turkey a NATO member state?

Nato has 32 members across Europe and North America, including the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey. After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, many Eastern European countries joined: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.