Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Brussels this week for a two-day meeting of NATO’s top diplomats. Speaking to reporters before his return to Türkiye, Fidan said they asked NATO members to support Ankara in its fight against terrorism.
“We underlined that NATO member countries should fully and unconditionally support Türkiye in the fight against terrorism,” Fidan told reporters in Brussels.
During his bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting, Fidan said he also emphasized that some NATO member countries should not cooperate with the terrorist organizations, particularly in Syria. “We said this is against the spirit of the NATO alliance,” he added. Stressing that it was agreed upon the appointment of a counterterrorism coordinator at last year’s Vilnius Summit, Fidan said efforts are continuing for NATO to look at the fight against terrorism “structurally.”
Under the name of YPG, the PKK terrorist group has grown stronger in the region, particularly in Deir el-Zour province, home to Syria’s largest oil wells, thanks to material support from the United States. The issue strains Turkish-U.S. ties as Ankara warns its NATO ally against aiding terror elements that threaten its national security, something Washington continues to do despite promising to remove the group from the Turkish border area.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., Britain and the European Union, is responsible for over 40,000 civilian and security personnel deaths in Türkiye during an almost four-decadelong campaign of terrorism. Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq where the group operates a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil province. Ankara maintains dozens of military bases there, and it regularly launches operations against the PKK but in recent years, it has battled the YPG in northern Syria where the group has occupied several resource-rich provinces since 2015 after taking advantage of a power vacuum created by the civil war. Washington supports the YPG for what it calls for battle against the terrorist group Daesh in Syria’s north.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019). The terrorists control areas near the Syrian-Iraqi border and unconfirmed reports say they travel between the two countries secretly.
Since Jan. 1, 2023, the terrorist group has carried out 560 attacks targeting areas where Türkiye carried out counterterrorism operations in Syria and more than 1,600 terrorists have been eliminated in response. Late January, a U.S.-based journal claimed, citing four sources within the U.S. Defense and State departments, that the White House could fully withdraw from Syria, which could ease some of the strain between Washington and Ankara.
Hakan Fidan said he also discussed with his counterparts the activities of the terrorist organization PKK in Europe.
“What is sad for them (European countries) is that the terrorist organization, which they have been silent about for years, is terrorizing their own streets. It is not a surprise to us that they are seeing these things now,” he added.
Fidan said the countries should not only condemn the terror group’s acts of violence against the Turkish nationals living in Europe, but also they should take “very serious” measures to combat it. “I see authorities increasingly becoming more sensitive in Europe. This is actually a pleasing issue. I see that tolerance toward the PKK is gradually decreasing. This is important,” he added. PKK sympathizers targeted the Turkish diaspora in Belgium and Germany last month amid high tensions. A Turkish youth was injured in brawls between PKK supporters and Turkish community members in Belgium. The incident was followed by an attack targeting the building of the Turkish Consulate in Germany’s Hannover.
Though officially outlawed in the EU and individual member states, in practice, the terrorist PKK has been allowed to demonstrate, raise funds for its terror campaign, and threaten or attack locals in European countries. Türkiye has long decried tolerance for the terror group and its supporters in Europe.
Next NATO chief
Turning to the 75th anniversary of NATO’s founding, Fidan said Türkiye has been an important member of the alliance since 1952. “It has been contributing to NATO for 72 years. Our armed forces actively participate in NATO missions,” he added. Fidan announced that the informal NATO foreign minister meeting will be held in Türkiye next year. About the race for being the next NATO chief, Fidan said he recently met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who announced his bid to become the next secretary-general. “It is possible that he will visit Türkiye soon. We are working on a date,” he said.
Stoltenberg’s term is scheduled to end on Oct. 1 after 10 years.
Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Rutte in a phone call that Ankara would back a candidate to be NATO’s new chief based on its expectations and needs. Erdoğan emphasized the need for the new secretary-general to best serve the security and interests of members in the fight against terrorism and other challenges, bolster the unity of the alliance, prioritize NATO’s fundamental duty, and deliver convincing commitments to uphold the alliance’s core values and established practices, as well as consider the sensitivities of non-EU allies.
Stressing that Türkiye clearly expressed his expectation that the process carried out with current chief Jens Stoltenberg will be put forward by the new secretary-general, Fidan said: “I think our president will also announce his decision (soon).”
Regional issues
About the restrictions on Türkiye in the defense industry, Fidan said he told his counterparts that they are not “compatible with the spirit of the alliance and that the restrictions should be removed.”
Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba gave information about the war during the meeting. Türkiye emphasized that it stands by Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and underlined that alternative ways to peace and cease-fire should be sought to stop the war, he added. Fidan also said he discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip with his counterparts on the sidelines of the NATO meeting and voiced concern over the “unbearable” situation in the enclave. “In particular, we have repeatedly raised the need for a cease-fire, urgent humanitarian aid, and a two-state solution perspective. Here’s the good thing. Now, all our counterparts almost agree with us. “It is important for the international community to reach this understanding during the process in terms of diplomatic gains, but more needs to be done in terms of changing something on the ground. Our determination on this issue continues,” he added.
Erdoğan’s US visit
During his sideline meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Brussels, Fidan said they also discussed the upcoming visit of Erdoğan to the U.S. upon the invitation of his counterpart Joe Biden. Fidan said Erdoğan’s agenda will include different issues, including bilateral and regional relations, with Gaza coming first among these.
Stressing that the Ukraine issue will also be on the agenda, Fidan said: “These two wars concern our region. At the same time, they both trigger global fault lines and there are other risk areas that they will trigger. Our president will continue to draw attention to them and emphasize our sensitivities on these issues.” Fidan said enhancement of the relations in other areas, such as economy, technology and trade, will also be on the agenda.
Erdoğan’s perspective is to remove Turkish-American relations from being “solely security-oriented” and to create a “more balanced and broader” set of relations, he added.
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