Because of Ukraine; What Is Turkey's Position on Nato Entering a War With Russia?

The Russian newspaper “Lenta.ru” spoke about the relations between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in light of several files, most notably, Ankara did not recognize the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea to Moscow.

The newspaper asked: Will Ukraine now surpass Russia in military power? Because of the few dozen drones that Turkey sells to it?

According to an article published by the newspaper, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said that “the incident of the British destroyer off the coast of Crimea will not be the last provocation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Navy.”

In June, Britain accused Russia of announcing “inaccurate details” of an incident in the Black Sea, during which Moscow said it fired warning shots, and dropped bombs on the course of a British destroyer off the coast of Crimea.

Russia said the British warship “Defender” had violated its territorial waters, while Britain and most countries of the world said that the waters belonged to Ukraine, and described these actions as a “blatant provocation.”

The newspaper says: “Moscow has accumulated enough claims to the NATO, but it is usually addressed to all members of the organization, with the exception of one, which is Turkey.”

After the war in the Karabakh region, Russian-Turkish relations improved significantly and became closer, despite the fact that Turkey pursues a “mysterious policy.”

But, how will Ankara act if relations between NATO and Russia become more complex, and what kind of deal can the two sides conclude on Crimea, Hasan Unal, an academic at Turkey's Maltepe University (Istanbul), asked Linta Dua Rue.

 

Non-Neutral Water

The Russian newspaper says that “tension in the Black Sea region is increasing, first, there was the incident of the British destroyer Defender, then began the Ukrainian exercises Sea Breeze with the participation of NATO, how does all this affect the situation in Turkey?

Hasan Unal said: Yes, tensions have already increased, and I understand Russia's concern about all of this, this is where the “Montreux Convention” helps.

The Montreux Convention entered into force in 1936, with the aim of regulating the movement and stay of warships and merchants through the Turkish Straits to the Black Sea.

It includes the ships of the bordering countries (Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania) on the Black Sea and the non-landing countries.

The Montreux Convention is of great importance to Ankara, the fact that its provisions specify the number of warships and merchants that will pass through the Turkish straits, their types, and the weight of the permissible cargo, Turkish security was taken as a basis in the formulation of these clauses.

The writer says that if tensions increase, a huge fleet from the West will roam the Black Sea, and who will try in every possible way to limit Russia's military capabilities, according to his assessment.

But thanks to the strict implementation of the Convention by Turkey, non- landing countries on the Black Sea can send only 2 ships in this sea, and staying there for only 3 weeks, then it has to leave her water area.

Otherwise, Turkey may not allow them to enter the Black Sea again.

According to the Turkish writer: “Turkey will always abide by the Montreux Convention according to the text of the document.”

As for the “Sea Breeze” exercises, it is noticeable that Ankara is taking a “very disciplined stance” on all this British-Russian tension, not only in the Black Sea, but also in the Mediterranean, he said.

 

Ukraine Issue

In an interview with the writer, the newspaper asked: If Russia sank the British destroyer, does this incident fall under Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which provides for collective defense in the event of an attack on a member of the Alliance.

He ruled out that matters between Russia and Britain would develop into war, saying: “Americans sometimes or even most of the time act stupidly, but not to this extent, and London has begun to put pressure on Moscow very recently.”

The writer commented that “the Ukraine issue is very sensitive for Turkey; it needs more focus and diplomacy.”

He added: “Turkey and Russia need each other; the fact that Turkey is a member of NATO should not affect its relations with Russia, because we are not a typical representative of the Alliance, like Luxembourg or Belgium or any other country in Western Europe.”

Yes, Ankara should remain in NATO, but despite this it has always followed its own independent policy, says the writer.

Even during the Cold War, while it remained a member of NATO, and developed relations with the (USSR), it is the same now, says Hasan Unal.

According to the article, Turkey has its own relation with Ukraine and wants to continue developing it, Russia must understand that.

The Turkish academic continued, “In fact, Turkey has good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, allowing it to offer mediation between the two countries, because Western countries, the USA and other countries will only pit Ukraine against Russia."

He concluded by saying: “We do not need to provoke Ukraine, we are just trying to keep our relation at a good level, that's the big difference.”