Small Wars Journal

NATO Chastises Turkey Over Syria, But Fears Driving It Toward Russia

Sat, 10/12/2019 - 12:47pm

NATO Chastises Turkey Over Syria, But Fears Driving It Toward Russia by Emre Peker – Wall Street Journal

Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria this week triggered a new rift between Ankara and its NATO allies, highlighting a growing divergence on security concerns and complicating efforts to thwart an increasingly assertive Russia.

Most North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies swiftly condemned the Turkish offensive against Western-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria, with some moving to punish Turkey after Mr. Erdogan launched operations Wednesday.

President Trump on Friday readied sanctions that “can shut down the Turkish economy,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, putting Turkey on notice to halt its Syria operations. The move came as Norway said it would halt new arms sales to the country. Italy and Spain are expected to withdraw air-defense deployments protecting Turkey’s southern border. And the European Union, with 22 of its 28 members also in NATO, is poised to shelve billions of euros in refugee aid to Turkey…

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