Turkish delegation presents book emphasizing Ankara's significance to NATO

A book on Turkey’s contributions to and expectations from NATO was presented on Tuesday by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the leaders of the U.K., Germany and France during a quartet meeting in London.

The book, titled “Turkey: The Powerful Member of the Strategic Alliance” and prepared by the Turkish Communications Directorate, stressed Turkey’s prominent role in the bloc’s security and defense strategies.

“Contrary to critical statements by the U.S. and European countries at different times regarding NATO, Turkey has placed NATO in the main axis of its policy of security and defense and properly fulfilled its responsibility of defending the common values that it shares with other allies,” it said.

The book also emphasized that Turkey’s legitimate security concerns should not be neglected by the ally countries.

“These expectations are as follows: Sustaining NATO’s contributions to Turkey’s defense, understanding and supporting Turkey’s security concerns, ensuring that the donor countries of NATO make contributions to the establishment of (Syria’s) Safe Zone, ending the negative discourse aimed at tarnishing the spirit of the alliance, fully implementing the Tailored Assurance Measures for Turkey, terminating the Aegean Activity, sustaining NATO-EU cooperation in accordance with the 'Agreed Framework,' including non-EU member allies in the EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), safeguarding the sensitivities of riparian countries in the Black Sea policies of NATO, strengthening the alliance solidarity between members,” the book said.

Stressing that Turkey is NATO’s second-largest army, offering numerous joint projects and contributions within the body of the alliance, the book said the struggle against all global, regional and national terrorist organizations without exception is highly important in terms of the sustainability of NATO’s institutional and functional structure.