The Turkish government can not reckon on the support of NATO in the case of an armed conflict with Russia “provoked” by Turkey, reports Der Spiegel. The alliance guarantees military support only in the case of “direct attack on an ally on the bloc”, said Luxembourg FM Jean Asselborn, speaking on behalf of the Alliance:
“NATO is not obliged to get involved in the escalation of the conflict with Russia in view of the recent tensions between Russia and Turkey”.
According to the politician, the NATO statute obliges the states to stand up for an ally only if it was “directly and unambiguously attacked”. In addition, the minister said he expresses solidarity with the view of alliance members.
In December, the Turkish government announced a curfew in a number of the Kurdish regions in the south-east of the country, in particular in the area of Sur, Diyarbakir, Cizre and Silopi, as well as in Nusaybin and Dargeçit in Mardin province. The genocide of the Kurds continues in Cizre and Sur. Almost every day there are reports of injuries and deaths among the indigenous people of Kurdistan.
Yesterday, the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country has every right to conduct overseas operations against terrorists constituting a threat for it. When speaking about terrorists he was referring to the Syrian Kurds. Such actions can lead to direct conflict including a conflict with Russia, which conducts a special operation there.