By sending troops into Syria, Türkiye is putting NATO in a difficult position.
(Baonghean.vn) - Türkiye's offensive against Kurdish forces, allies of the US, in the Afrin region of northern Syria is putting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a difficult position. In the context of increasing tensions between NATO allies, analysts are wondering where Ankara's campaign will go.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller arrived in Ankara, Türkiye, on January 22 for a pre-planned visit unrelated to Türkiye's current military campaign in the Afrin region.
However, the trip has attracted intense interest, as NATO's two largest armies are on opposite sides of the campaign.
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| Türkiye's operation in the Alfrin area (Syria). Photo: Getty |
Ankara wants to clear the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters from its border with Syria, while the force receives support from the US.
Turkish officials quoted Ms Gottemoeller as reassuring that the operation in Afrin would “go quickly”.
Meanwhile, NATO officials in Brussels stressed that the NATO Deputy Secretary General was not in Ankara due to escalating tensions between the US and Türkiye, and she would not play a mediating role in this disagreement.
Soufan Group, an influential US-based security intelligence strategy firm, said Türkiye’s actions in Afrin were an example of how the newly formed alliance between Turkey, Russia and Iran “is uniting to thwart US interests in Syria.”
According to the Soufan Group, the US is forced to withdraw or push for conflict with Ankara, its NATO ally.
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| NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller. Photo: AP |
Marc Pierini, an expert at the Carnegie European Foreign Policy Center, is well versed in Türkiye, having served as EU ambassador to Türkiye from 2006 to 2011.
According to him, President Erdogan seems to be sacrificing the little goodwill left in Europe to serve his political purposes.
“This is essentially putting Türkiye on a collision course with NATO. That is the main impact, but I think Ankara understands the risks of this action, and that is the price it has to pay to control the political situation,” the expert said.
Pierini explained that the show of force in the campaign against Kurdish militants in Syria would likely be welcomed by the Turkish people.
Mr. Pierini commented that President Erdogan had created “a major campaign to destroy what was considered a small threat,” which could have been resolved diplomatically.
This expert warned that “no one knows where and when this problem will end”./.
