NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged today that he was “concerned” about Turkey’s behavior and the violation of democratic rights in that country, Agerpres reported, citing AFP.
“I am seriously concerned about the differences in vision (between the allies) in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s decision to buy a Russian S-400 missile defense system and violations of democratic rights in Turkey,” Stoltenberg told a video conference with members of the subcommittee on security and defense. European Parliament.
He stressed that “NATO is a platform for discussions and its role is to reduce tensions, but that does not mean that there are no grounds for concern.”
Stoltenberg has so far downplayed the problems caused by Ankara’s behavior, AFP notes, adding that his statement today comes a week before a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers.
“Turkey is an important ally that has played a significant role in the fight against Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State jihadist group), which has suffered a large number of terrorist attacks and is home to several million refugees,” the NATO secretary general said. taking stock of the February 17th meeting of NATO defense ministers.
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