NATO should declare Syrian Kurds as terrorists, Turkey pressurises NATO

Brussels: Turkey warned that if NATO does not declare the Syrian Kurds as terrorists, it will not sanction NATO’s plan for military deployment in the Baltic countries. This deployment in the eastern European countries will not be possible unless all the members of NATO sanction the deployment. Using this NATO rule, Turkey is helping its newfound friend, Russia, as the deployment in the Baltic countries is to counter the Russian threat.

An important meeting of the NATO members has been organised in London, in the next week. In view of the increasing Russian activities near the eastern European border, discussions regarding the implementation of security systems in Baltic and Poland will be held. Underlining the growing threat from Russia, Poland and the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania have requested for additional NATO military deployment. NATO has been making efforts to garner support from its members for this proposal.

But Turkey has already clarified its position in front of NATO. Turkey has demanded that if NATO wants Turkey to cooperate in the implementation of the security plan in Poland and the Baltic countries, NATO should declare Syrian Kurds as terrorists. Four senior officials revealed the information regarding the Turkish demand. While talking to an international news agency, one of the NATO officials said that Turkey is holding everyone at ransom by stopping the deployment in the eastern European countries.

As per the NATO rules, it is mandatory to decide on military deployment, in any of the member countries, unanimously. The concerned deployment cannot be done in case of refusal by any of the members. In such a scenario, Turkey has refused to sign the plan for deployment in the Baltic countries, adding to the woes of NATO.

US President Donald Trump has already clarified that the United States is not going to carry the entire burden of NATO whereas, a few days ago, French President Emmanuel Macron called NATO ‘brain dead’. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had warned that its only NATO which can take the responsibility of the European security. Against the background of this dispute, Turkey has posed one more problem before NATO.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurds made significant contributions in the campaign by the US and NATO militaries against the IS in Syria. Therefore, the United States and NATO have already refused to declare the Syrian Kurds as terrorists. This is the indication that the rift between NATO and Turkey has been apparently widening.