The former supreme allied commander of NATO, retired Adm. James Stavridis, called Turkey’s impending deployment of an S-400 Russian missile defense system “a disagreement between friends” but warned of increasing Russian activity on the alliance’s borders.
“I continue to be the strongest supporter imaginable of Turkey and its role in the alliance,” Stavridis said as part of a discussion hosted by the Washington-based Turkish Heritage Organization. “It is nonsense to speak about this as a potential reason that Turkey would leave the alliance.”
Former Turkish Minister of Defense Fikril Isik, participating from Ankara, blamed the United States for forcing Turkey to approach Russia to meet its defense needs.
“At first, Turkey knocked on the door of the United States, an ally, to procure the Patriot system but they offered an astronomical price, more than double of the S-400,” said Isik about the eventual $2.5 billion purchase of one of Russia’s most sophisticated radar and missile-defense systems in 2019.
“This is a hot potato with Turkey and the United States, not between Turkey and NATO,” he said. Isik explained that the U.S. offer did not include updated training and technology, nor a guarantee of Senate approval for the sale.
“As a last option, really, we went to Russia,” he said.
Isik said America was then silent about the sale, and the NATO secretary-general declared there would be no problem with the purchase as long as the system did not integrate with NATO systems.
Then the U.S. threatened sanctions and canceled the sale of a hundred F-35 fighter jets, claiming the S-400 system could be used to detect their weakness.
“This was unfair and unacceptable, we are in an alliance,” said Isik. “Turkey’s need is imminent; how will we fulfill our requirements?”
Stavridis took his turn underscoring that Turkey will continue to be a “central actor in the NATO alliance.”
The former commander of NATO said Turkey had an important geographic position, the second-largest army in NATO, and a historic, close relationship with the U.S.
“The U.S. view of this is we were probably late to come to Turkey with an acceptable alternative of a U.S. system,” he said.
“Other NATO nations use weapons systems that they purchase from Russia, it’s not unknown,” he added. “Let’s figure out a way that the S-400, that is bought, paid for, and deployed, can be used but not in an integrated fashion with NATO, and then let’s go back to perhaps where we should have been, to come up with a second procurement option that puts a U.S. or European system that can be integrated alongside.”
Isik said Turkey had offered a joint technical team to assuage U.S. concerns about implementing the Russian system, whose deployment has been delayed due to the coronavirus.
“We offered a joint technical committee in order to eliminate all the concerns of the United States side and then activate the S-400 in order to avoid all the risks and the concerns of the S-400 system,” he said. “Turkey and the United States have a very good alliance, a very strong alliance.”
Turkey-Russia relations
Stavridis underscored that Russia is taking advantage of an uncertain time with aggressive actions on NATO’s borders, while Isik said Turkey’s close relations with Russia were tactical, not strategic.
“We need to continue to be concerned about Russian behavior,” said Stavridis. “We see an awful lot of activity around the border of the alliance that ought to continue to concern us. This is where deterrence matters.”
Stavridis cited Russian operations near warships in the eastern Mediterranean and Russian aircraft entering NATO airspace.
“Nobody ought to have an interest in seeing NATO and Russia stumble into another Cold War,” he said. “We ought to confront where we must and cooperate where we can.”
Stavridis suggested areas for cooperation with Russia to include the Arctic, the environment, stabilization of Syria post-civil war, science, space, and medicine.
“I do believe that Turkey, because they are closer to Russia than most of the other NATO nations, can have a positive role in finding the zones of cooperation,” he added.
Isik said Turkey’s relationship with Russia is not a threat to the alliance.
“The existence of Turkey in NATO was because of Russia,” he said, noting that after World War II, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin demanded three provinces in the northeast of Turkey and a military base on the Bosporus River, which separates Turkey and Asia from Europe.
Isik said Turkey relies on a close relationship with Russia to resolve regional issues, including the Syrian Civil War.
“Turkey is a loyal member of NATO, and I’m sure it will remain this, but Russia is our neighbor,” he said. “You can choose your friends, your alliance, but not your neighbors.”
