In some western circles, there has been a question mark over Turkey’s position on Russia’s war in Ukraine, writes Ambassador Tacan Ildem. Here he outlines the long history of Turkish-Russian relations, and how Turkey’s policy on Ukraine today is a balancing act informed by the geopolitics of the region.
Five members of the ELN Network share their views on the 2022 NATO Madrid Summit
Putin underestimated Western unity and the scope of Western reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, write Üzümcü, Ceylan and İldem. However, they note that had such an invasion occurred during Donald Trump’s presidency, the Western reaction may have been quite different.
After the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the AUKUS deal, Ambassadors Tacan Ildem and Fatih Ceylan consider the implications for NATO and the EU and suggest ways to consolidate cooperation between the two organisations.
Turkey and the UK have great potential to strengthen their defence and security cooperation following their recent free trade agreement, write Tacan Ildem and Fatih Ceylan. To take this forward, they should elaborate a Joint Vision Paper (JVP) on enhanced Turkey-UK defence cooperation, to be shared within NATO.
Brexit incentivises the discussions about the role of the non-EU NATO members – including Turkey – in European defence and security, argue Ambassadors Fatih Ceylan and Tacan Ildem. They write that a process of developing a new transatlantic compact could be launched at the upcoming NATO Summit.