President Donald J. Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 Japan Summit Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Osaka, Japan. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)
Europeans and Americans angry at Turkey’s advance into Syria are already calling for the Turks to be ejected from NATO.
Tensions between NATO and Turkey have been brewing for some time. The recent purchase by Turkey of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems has put a lot of strain on the relationship. Turkey has even been kicked out of the F-35 program.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is in trouble though. His party has been losing in mayoral elections around the country. Erdogan has been working to increase his control of the country for years. Such electroal defeats are a red alert.
Now, in what is possibly an effort to distract his constituents, Erdogan is attacking Syria and its Kurds. While this may be an efficient way to rally his supporters, it may also be a good way to get Turkey kicked out of NATO.
Many pundits and even some politicians have been calling for Turkey’s ouster since its purchase of the S-400 system, but with the invasion of Syria, the call has gotten louder, especially in Europe. France’s former President Francois Hollande has called for kicking Turkey out of NATO. The UK Express reports:
FORMER French President François Hollande on Wednesday said the Nato military alliance should strip Turkey of its membership after its troops attacked Kurdish militia in northeast Syria, launching a cross-border operation many fear will plunge the country deeper into turmoil. World powers fear the assault on Kurdish forces could trigger a devastating shift in the region’s balance of power, and reboot the Islamic State terrorist group.
Following Turkey’s actions, Nato must “suspend” the country’s membership, M Hollande told the French daily Le Parisien. “The Kurds are our allies, they led the fight against Daesh (Islamic State). Turkey, however, is a member of Nato. How can we allow a country that is in an alliance with us to attack a force that has been our main partner against Daesh?” he said. M Hollande also called on the UN Security Council and the European Union to “immediately” impose sanctions on Ankara over the assault. Turkey says it intends to create a “safe zone” in order to return millions of refugees to Syria and eliminate what it calls a “terror corridor” on its southern border.
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