Expert Warns NATO Support for Turkey Could Stretch Alliance Capabilities

(MENAFN) NATO’s potential backing of Türkiye amid rising regional tensions would serve not only to support Ankara but also act as a measure of the alliance’s readiness, a security expert noted on Wednesday during a roundtable in Paris on Türkiye-NATO relations.

Murat Aslan, a faculty member at Hasan Kalyoncu University and senior researcher at the SETA think tank, cautioned that the recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran could escalate further and potentially extend to the Gulf region. He added that any such escalation would directly impact the interests of both Türkiye and NATO. Aslan highlighted that modern conflicts increasingly involve clashes between states and non-state actors, necessitating what he called a “hybrid response” that integrates military, political, and security measures.

Presidential Chief Adviser Cagri Erhan emphasized that the rules-based international order established under the United Nations system after World War II is facing growing pressure.

Speaking at the session, Erhan said that global developments since the COVID-19 pandemic have created an uncertain era marked by heightened security risks, fragile economic conditions, and rising protectionism.

Hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Paris, the discussion brought together around 30 French and Turkish journalists to review Türkiye-NATO relations, Middle East developments, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. “The rules-based international order is under attack from all sides,” Erhan said.

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