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Turkey remains a strong ally for NATO on border of all instability

21 July 2016 [16:33] - TODAY.AZ

/By Azernews/

By Gunay Camal

The Turkish government has regained control of the country and the army after Friday's failed coup. But its effects on the army of Turkey, a NATO state and key figure in the Middle East region, is still being discussed in the region and beyond.

Ever since the country joined the Alliance in 1952, its membership has been viewed as a vital stronghold in the defense of Europe against threats that may come from that region.

Turkey, a nation of about 80 million people, has the second-largest army in the North Atlantic Alliance and plays a vital role in the war against ISIS, as well as in stemming the tide of refugees.

The country hosts about 1,500 American military personnel and aircraft at Incirlik Air Base, a staging point for the fight against Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq.

In the early hours after the failed coup attempt, which left 240 dead and over 1,500 wounded, more than 6,000 members of the military were rounded up and detained. The list of the arrested also includes over 100 generals, nearly one third of active 360 generals.

Thousands of public employees have been suspended from their duties amid a nationwide move against those suspected of having links to the failed coup attempt.

The military officials accused of masterminding the failed coup, which some argued that will negatively effect on the NATO membership of the country. 

However, the U.S. and other NATO allies threw their support behind Turkey’s democratically elected government.

President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel affirmed their support for the NATO ally on Friday after Turkish Army officers initially announced that they had seized power and President Erdogan appeared on television calling on people to take to the streets to defend the government.

The purge of thousands in the Turkish military in the aftermath of an attempted coup has not weakened the country's military, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on July 20.

"Turkey has a large armed force, professional armed forces and ... I am certain they will continue as a committed and strong NATO ally," Stoltenberg told Reuters.

Stoltenberg said he expected Turkey's reaction to the coup attempt to be proportionate and in line with the values of NATO, adding that there were no talks to reconsider Turkey's membership in the military alliance.

"It is important for all of us that Turkey continues to be a strong NATO ally because Turkey is on the border of all the instability, all the violence we have seen in Iraq and Syria," Stoltenberg said.

Instability in Turkey, which straddles Europe, the Middle East and Asia, has direct implications for stability in Europe. The tough situation provoked by the coup risks undermining NATO’s joint efforts to combat the IS and further destabilize the chaos of Syria.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/152768.html

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