.
The 28 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met July 28th in closed session for a rare meeting after Article 4 of the Washington Treaty was invoked for just the fifth time in the organization’s history.
Article 4 states, “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
Turkey called for just this sort of consultation on July 26th in response to a series of attacks along the Turkish-Syrian border, causing them to fear for the safety of their borders in the midst of the crisis in Syria. Turkey called the meeting to discuss the threat ISIS poses to the nation, as well as the state’s planned response to security threats.
In the week prior to the meeting, a suicide bombing occurred on the Turkish-Syrian border killing 32 and a separate IS attack killed a Turkish soldier. However, IS is not the only concern of Turkey’s, they also are wary of the Syrian Kurds.
It has been made clear that Turkey fears the Kurds uprising and fighting for an independent state, something that has happened in the past. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been fighting for Kurdish independence since 1984 and many have died in that conflict.
As a result of past tensions with the Kurds, Turkish forces have also been launching attacks against the Kurdish forces in Syria, who are the most effective force currently fighting ISIS. Kurds reported that the Turks have shelled Syrian villages with the aim being Kurdish soldiers.
Turkey has responded by saying that the Kurds are just as great of a threat to their nation as are “Daesh”, the Arabic abbreviation for ISIS.
Part of the NATO meeting was expected to cover what measures Turkey is taking in the case of the Kurds.
Going into the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that he expected support from the nation’s NATO allies, and support is what they received.
In the press conference following the July 28 emergency meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that all of the NATO members stand in solidarity with Turkey and condemns the acts of terror perpetrated against Turkey. Stoltenberg said that Turkey did not request additional military support or a NATO presence during the emergency meeting.
When asked by a reporter about the potential for a safe zone on the Turkish-Syrian border, currently in discussions between US and Turkish officials, the NATO Secretary-General said NATO is not a part of these efforts. Rather the creation of a safe zone is a bilateral discussion to be had between the US and Turkey.
The idea behind the safe zone is to clear the area of rebel forces and allow Syrian refugees somewhere secure to go to. Turkey is the top refugee-hosting nation in the world, with 1.59 million refugees entering the country in 2014, largely due to the crisis in Syria.
A potential safe zone is a step amongst others to further the US-Turkish relations when it comes to fighting ISIS. Turkey has long been wary of becoming engaged in the conflict with ISIS, but recently has made moves to become more involved. Turkey has now opened its bases to the US-coalition, including the strategic Incirlik Air Base located near Adana in the south of the country. Turkish warplanes have also been targeting militants in Syria.
Stoltenberg made it clear that terrorism is a major concern of NATO’s and not tolerated in any form. He also added that NATO would continue to monitor the situation unfolding in Syria and the rest of the Middle East.
“The security of the Alliance is indivisible, and we stand in strong solidarity with Turkey. We will continue to follow the developments on the South-Eastern border of NATO very closely,” Stoltenberg said.
This was not the first time Turkey invoked Article 4, in fact of the 5 times an emergency NATO meeting has occurred, Turkey has called for four.
In 2003, Turkey used Article 4 to call for a meeting due to the Iraq war. Turkey then invoked Article 4 twice in 2012. One meeting was held to discuss Syria shooting down a Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet and another meeting took place to discuss more threatening actions by Syria.
Poland also called for a rare emergency NATO meeting in 2014, as result of concerns rising because of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
Notably, Article 4 is the tamer relative of Article 5, which states that if a NATO member falls victim to an armed attack, it shall be considered an attack against all NATO members and it is up to the members to deem how best to aid the country under siege. Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the 9/11 attacks.
While many details are not available from the most recent emergency meeting of the NATO allies, it is clear that the situation in Syria is being monitored and Turkey is not afraid to call on its allies when needed.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
a global affairs media network
Extraordinary Meeting: NATO Gathers at Turkey’s Call
November 14, 2015
The 28 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met July 28th in closed session for a rare meeting after Article 4 of the Washington Treaty was invoked for just the fifth time in the organization’s history.
Article 4 states, “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
Turkey called for just this sort of consultation on July 26th in response to a series of attacks along the Turkish-Syrian border, causing them to fear for the safety of their borders in the midst of the crisis in Syria. Turkey called the meeting to discuss the threat ISIS poses to the nation, as well as the state’s planned response to security threats.
In the week prior to the meeting, a suicide bombing occurred on the Turkish-Syrian border killing 32 and a separate IS attack killed a Turkish soldier. However, IS is not the only concern of Turkey’s, they also are wary of the Syrian Kurds.
It has been made clear that Turkey fears the Kurds uprising and fighting for an independent state, something that has happened in the past. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been fighting for Kurdish independence since 1984 and many have died in that conflict.
As a result of past tensions with the Kurds, Turkish forces have also been launching attacks against the Kurdish forces in Syria, who are the most effective force currently fighting ISIS. Kurds reported that the Turks have shelled Syrian villages with the aim being Kurdish soldiers.
Turkey has responded by saying that the Kurds are just as great of a threat to their nation as are “Daesh”, the Arabic abbreviation for ISIS.
Part of the NATO meeting was expected to cover what measures Turkey is taking in the case of the Kurds.
Going into the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that he expected support from the nation’s NATO allies, and support is what they received.
In the press conference following the July 28 emergency meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that all of the NATO members stand in solidarity with Turkey and condemns the acts of terror perpetrated against Turkey. Stoltenberg said that Turkey did not request additional military support or a NATO presence during the emergency meeting.
When asked by a reporter about the potential for a safe zone on the Turkish-Syrian border, currently in discussions between US and Turkish officials, the NATO Secretary-General said NATO is not a part of these efforts. Rather the creation of a safe zone is a bilateral discussion to be had between the US and Turkey.
The idea behind the safe zone is to clear the area of rebel forces and allow Syrian refugees somewhere secure to go to. Turkey is the top refugee-hosting nation in the world, with 1.59 million refugees entering the country in 2014, largely due to the crisis in Syria.
A potential safe zone is a step amongst others to further the US-Turkish relations when it comes to fighting ISIS. Turkey has long been wary of becoming engaged in the conflict with ISIS, but recently has made moves to become more involved. Turkey has now opened its bases to the US-coalition, including the strategic Incirlik Air Base located near Adana in the south of the country. Turkish warplanes have also been targeting militants in Syria.
Stoltenberg made it clear that terrorism is a major concern of NATO’s and not tolerated in any form. He also added that NATO would continue to monitor the situation unfolding in Syria and the rest of the Middle East.
“The security of the Alliance is indivisible, and we stand in strong solidarity with Turkey. We will continue to follow the developments on the South-Eastern border of NATO very closely,” Stoltenberg said.
This was not the first time Turkey invoked Article 4, in fact of the 5 times an emergency NATO meeting has occurred, Turkey has called for four.
In 2003, Turkey used Article 4 to call for a meeting due to the Iraq war. Turkey then invoked Article 4 twice in 2012. One meeting was held to discuss Syria shooting down a Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet and another meeting took place to discuss more threatening actions by Syria.
Poland also called for a rare emergency NATO meeting in 2014, as result of concerns rising because of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
Notably, Article 4 is the tamer relative of Article 5, which states that if a NATO member falls victim to an armed attack, it shall be considered an attack against all NATO members and it is up to the members to deem how best to aid the country under siege. Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the 9/11 attacks.
While many details are not available from the most recent emergency meeting of the NATO allies, it is clear that the situation in Syria is being monitored and Turkey is not afraid to call on its allies when needed.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
