NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the importance of Turkey for the alliance in an interview Thursday with French newspaper Le Figaro.
鈥淎ll allies have criticized the operation, but no one questioned Turkey鈥檚 place in NATO,鈥� Stoltenberg told the paper, referring to Operation Peace Spring launched by Turkey in October.
鈥淭urkey joined the struggle against Daesh by allowing its allies to use their bases. Turkey, the only country in NATO on the border with Syria and Iraq,鈥� he said.
鈥淭urkey accommodates 3.6 million migrants. Turkey is very important for NATO. To understanding this, [we] need to look at the map and examine the geostrategic situation in Turkey.鈥�
Stoltenberg also addressed French President Emmanuel Macron鈥檚 criticism of the alliance, in which Macron described NATO as 鈥渂rain dead.鈥�
鈥淣ATO is vital for security issues. It proved this by protecting almost a billion people for decades,鈥� he said.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is not a competitor with the European Union.
He noted that Canada, England, Iceland, Norway, Turkey and the U.S. are playing an important role in European security.
Reporting by Yusuf 脰zcan in Paris
Writing by Davut Demircan
Anadolu Agency
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