|
Turkey's Relations with NATO
The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union
and the Warsaw Pact, as well as with the unification of
Germany. This has radically altered East-West relations
and created a totally different security environment. Consequently,
the division of Europe is now an old chapter in modern history.
In a very short span of time and as a result of these changes,
optimism and cooperative partnership for a more peaceful
order became prominent in East-West relations.
However, the optimism about a lasting peace was soon proved
to be rather premature by wars that broke out in the Gulf,
in Yugoslavia, in the Caucasus and elsewhere. The new freedoms
and more secure environment gave rise to new, but also old
conflicts and divisions. Ongoing uncertainties, ethnic clashes,
border disputes and even naked aggression prevailing in
the post-Cold War era strengthened the need for a new European
Security structure.
In this context NATO, WEU, EU, OSCE and the Council of
Europe are to be the key and interlocking institutions of
this envisaged structure. Regional arrangements will also
have a substantial contribution to make. Meanwhile, the
above mentioned organizations have launched adaptation processes
that will enable them to respond to the new circumstances.
In the same vein, the process of adaptation has yielded
significant results for the NATO Alliance. While the new
Strategic Concept redefined and adapted to the Alliance's
strategy to harmonize with an evolving environment, the
creation of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council provided
for the Allied countries to pursue a substantive and cooperative
relationship with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe,
the Baltic States and the Central Asian and Caucasian Republics.
On the other hand, the Partnership for Peace Initiative
adopted by NATO early in 1994 has given a new impetus to
efforts toward a closer relationship between NATO and the
countries of the former Soviet Union.
Turkey is situated in a geographical area which can now
be regarded as the central region of the Alliance, that
is, adjacent to three regions of increasing instability,
namely the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Turkey, therefore, being centrally located between those
regions is now in a position to assume a different role
in the Alliance.
Furthermore, Turkey, as a democratic and secular state
at the epicenter of these regions, spares no effort to protect
the values and common ideals shared with in the Alliance
and with countries beyond its borders, and particularly
those in Central Asia and the Caucasus, with whom Turkey
has linguistic, cultural and historic ties.
All these new developments place Turkey in a position to
play a stabilizing role in these regions, along with her
classical role as an allied country. In such a context,
Turkey's role in the Alliance has become significant and
more challenging.
On the other hand, the WEU, through the EC Maastricht Summit,
has started the process of enlargement, aiming to strengthen
the European defense identity as well as the European pillar
of the Alliance.
Given the indivisible nature of the security and defense
of Europe and her vital role in it, Turkey has joined the
WEU as a fully participating associate member together with
other non-EC NATO member countries. However, Turkey considers
this status to be transitory, because the objective is to
become a full member of the WEU.
| 
