NATO Ministers of Defence met on Thursday, February 4 in Istanbul. Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the United States Secretary of Defence Robert Gates also participated in this informal meeting held in Turkey. 28 NATO member countries came together in the meeting and the meeting agenda was Afghanistan. Besides the United States Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, the current NATO Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, and senior Afghan authorities participated in the meeting hosted by the Ministry of National Defence Vecdi Gonul.
Secretary General of NATO Rasmussen who came to Istanbul by a private plane, wanted the member countries to make more contribution to the training of Afghan security forces. During the meeting, they also talked about the new targets of NATO, civil coordination, transfer of authority, and financing military operations. [1] According to military authorities, The International Security Assistance Force is planning to weaken the country by dividing it rather than annihilating Taliban. The United States Secretary of Defence promised that the USA would provide special armed cars, M-ATV, and improved technology in order to protect NATO forces in Afghanistan from the bombs placed on roadsides. [2]
NATO member countries agreed to raise the total number of their soldiers to 9 thousand. As stated by the Commander, the U.S. Forces Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal who came to Istanbul yesterday, the USA has ended the deterioration process in the armed struggle with Taliban and Al-Qaeda. However, NATO mostly focuses on training that Turkey will also support. In order to train Afghan forces, currently there is a need for about 2,000-2,400 foreign trainers.[3] Thus, in one of his statements at the beginning of the week, Rasmussen said that he would put pressure on member countries in order to meet the soldier deficit for the training of the Afghan forces in Istanbul meeting.
On the other hand, General Ilker Basbug, the current Chief of the Turkish General Staff as in the past did not participate in NATO meeting in which 28 countries participated because Turkey’s state protocol does not correspond to NATO protocol. The Chief of the Turkish General Staff, who sits in front of the Ministry of Defence Vecdi Gonul according to the state protocol, should sit behind him according to NATO protocol. It seems that the Chief of the Turkish General Staff Basbug, who sits in front of the Ministry of Defence Vecdi Gonul according to the state protocol, did not participate in the meetings in order not to come against NATO protocol. [4]
That the Chief of the Turkish Staff did not participate in the meeting does not mean that Turkish Armed Forces has lost its interest in Afghanistan’s future. As a NATO member, Turkey and its existence in Afghanistan are important for many powerful countries, particularly for the USA. As a matter of fact, the United States Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke stated that he could not think of any other country which had more important role than Turkey in terms of the operation in Afghanistan in the context of The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Stating what an important factor Turkey has in this region, Holbrooke indicated that they can easily include Turkey into the countries that have legal security and strategic interests in the region.
Consequently, that there was a NATO summit in Istanbul, American authorities continually express the importance of Turkey’s role in Afghanistan, and that Turkey is asked to train Afghan forces are striking to illustrate the strength of the international expectations from our country. Considering the aims of the USA in Afghanistan, the domestic policy risks that the President Obama bears, and his “New Afghan Strategy”, it can be said that all these developments indicate that the USA cannot endure a defeat in Afghanistan. Under these circumstances, Turkey should evaluate its strategic interests in the region in details and take right steps.
Özlem Pınar ORAN, Assistant
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[1]VOA News (2010) “NATO Savunma Bakanları İstanbul’da”, Voice of America News, 04.02.2010, http://www.voanews.com/turkish/2010-02-04-voa18.cfm.
[2] VOA News (2010) “İstanbul’daki NATO Toplantısı Sona Erdi”, Voice of America News, 05.02.2010,
http://www.voanews.com/turkish/2010-02-05-voa23.cfm.
[3]Hürriyet (2010) “NATO İstanbul’da Afganistan için Toplanıyor”, Hürriyet.com, 04.02.2010, http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/13686786.asp.
[4]Akşam (2010)”İstanbul’da Başbuğ’suz NATO Zirvesi”, Akşam.com.tr, 05.02.2010, http://www.aksam.com.tr/2010/02/05/haber/siyaset/4739/istanbul_da_basbug_suz_nato_zirvesi.html.