Work with Turkey, NATO tells EU

With tensions growing and accusations flying between Turkey and the EU over an escalating migrant crisis, the head of NATO has warned Europe it must find a way to work with “important ally” Ankara. EU members accuse Turkey of unleashing a wave of migrants for political ends, in an increasingly bitter confrontation over a new crisis on the Greek border.

Thousands have gathered on the Turkey-Greece frontier since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave migrants the green light to leave for Europe last week, as he seeks more support from the international community in Syria.

The drama prompted a bitter tirade against Ankara from French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian, who told lawmakers in Paris it was time for a “frank debate” at NATO about whose side Turkey was on. But, in an interview with AFP, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for a more pragmatic approach, saying the European Union would have to find a way to cooperate with Ankara.

“We have to understand that when you speak about the migrant and refugee crisis we speak about a common challenge, which we have to address together,” Stoltenberg said. “The only way to address the situation on the border is by working together.” There was support for this view from Norbert Roettgen, chair of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament and a contender to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“We have to face the reality and if you want to help the refugees you have to cooperate with Turkey,” Roettgen said at the Institut Montaigne in Paris, calling for a dose of realpolitik. “I cannot see a strategy without Turkey. Face the reality, it might not delight you but Turkey is the border state between Europe and the Middle East.”

The migrant drama began after Russian-backed Syrian forces killed 34 Turkish troops in northern Syria, prompting Erdogan to seek greater assistance from allies—both military and to support 3.7 million refugees and migrants currently hosted in Turkey. France is one of a number of NATO members exasperated by Turkey’s actions in recent months and years—including its unilateral incursion into Syria to fight Kurdish militias that had been important allies for the anti-Islamic State coalition.

At the French Senate on Wednesday, le Drian reeled off a list of “ambiguities” in Turkey’s actions, including its growing closeness to Moscow, its controversial territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean and the migrant “blackmail”.

“We are in the same alliance,” he said.

“We will need to quickly have a frank and serious public discussion with Turkey to know where each stands and where our common interests lie, otherwise we will not get past this.”

Because NATO takes decisions by unanimity, divisions make it unlikely that the alliance as a whole will agree to support Turkey.

An urgent meeting of NATO’s ruling council called by Turkey last week resulted in agreement to continue existing air defence support—including AWACS surveillance flights and a Spanish Patriot missile battery.

Work with Turkey, NATO tells EU

With tensions growing and accusations flying between Turkey and the EU over an escalating migrant crisis, the head of NATO has warned Europe it must find a way to work with important ally Ankara. EU members accuse Turkey of unleashing a wave of migrants for political ends, in an increasingly bitter confrontation over a new crisis on the Greek border. Thousands have gathered on the Turkey-Greece frontier since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave migrants the green light to leave for Europe last week, as he seeks more support from the international community in Syria. The drama prompted a bitter tirade against Ankara from French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian, who told lawmakers in Paris it was time for a frank debate at NATO about whose side Turkey was on. But, in an interview with AFP, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for a more pragmatic approach, saying the European Union would have to find a way to cooperate with Ankara. We have to understand that when you speak about the migrant and refugee crisis we speak about a common challenge, which we have to address together, Stoltenberg said. The only way to address the situation on the border is by working together. There was support for this view from Norbert Roettgen, chair of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament and a contender to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel. We have to face the reality and if you want to help the refugees you have to cooperate with Turkey, Roettgen said at the Institut Montaigne in Paris, calling for a dose of realpolitik. I cannot see a strategy without Turkey. Face the reality, it might not delight you but Turkey is the border state between Europe and the Middle East. The migrant drama began after Russian-backed Syrian forces killed 34 Turkish troops in northern Syria, prompting Erdogan to seek greater assistance from alliesboth military and to support 3.7 million refugees and migrants currently hosted in Turkey. France is one of a number of NATO members exasperated by Turkeys actions in recent months and yearsincluding its unilateral incursion into Syria to fight Kurdish militias that had been important allies for the anti-Islamic State coalition. At the French Senate on Wednesday, le Drian reeled off a list of ambiguities in Turkeys actions, including its growing closeness to Moscow, its controversial territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean and the migrant blackmail. We are in the same alliance, he said. We will need to quickly have a frank and serious public discussion with Turkey to know where each stands and where our common interests lie, otherwise we will not get past this. Because NATO takes decisions by unanimity, divisions make it unlikely that the alliance as a whole will agree to support Turkey. An urgent meeting of NATOs ruling council called by Turkey last week resulted in agreement to continue existing air defence supportincluding AWACS surveillance flights and a Spanish Patriot missile battery.