Friday

31st Mar 2023

Turkey calls emergency Nato talks on Syria

  • Leaked map of Syrian air defences (Photo: James L'Angelle)

Turkey has invoked the softer article four of the Nato treaty after Syria shot down one of its warplanes on Friday (22 June).

Its decision will see the 28 Nato countries' ambassadors hold emergency talks in the North Atlantic Council, the political steering group of the military alliance, in Brussels on Tuesday.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Article four says that any ally can call talks if it thinks its security has been "threatened."

The more tough article five says "an armed attack against one or more [Nato member] ... shall be considered an attack against them all" and permits "the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."

Article four talks have in the past seen Nato take low-level action - in 2003 it sent patriot rockets to Turkey after Ankara voiced worries about Iraqi scud missiles.

Article five has been invoked just once in Nato's history, after 9/11. But the attack on Afghanistan took place outside Nato structures.

The emergency talks come after Syrian air defences shot down a Turkish F4 jet into the Mediterranean sea.

Syria says the plane violated its airspace.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on national TV on Saturday that it entered Syrian territory by mistake for a moment, but that it was shot down in international airspace. He said it re-entered Syrian airspace after being hit due to "abnormal movements."

Western powers have in the past said military intervention in Syria is impossible without a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, which is being blocked by Russia, its old ally.

The Nato charter gives it permission to act without the UN, but there is little appetite for military action.

Speaking to EUobserver on Friday morning before the F4 incident, Turkey's EU affairs minister, Egemen Bagis said "Putin is the key" to Syria's future, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Its EU ambassador, Selim Yenel, earlier in the week told this website: "There is no easy solution. So maybe they [the rebels] will have to do it themselves, the hard way."

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday plan to impose extra economic santcions on Damascus.

But the British, Dutch and Swedish ministers told press on Monday morning that the F4 incident will not trigger retaliation.

The UK's William Hague said: "I don't think it illustrates a different phase of the Syrian crisis."

The Netherlands' Uri Rosenthal said military action is "out of the question."

Sweden's Carl Bildt noted that "miltarisation of the conflict" could lead to "sectarian fragmentation ... with devastating consequences for years to come." He added that any extra sanctions "will not be decisive" because the regime is insulated from economic problems.

Meanwhile, draft conclusions for an EU summit on Thursday - also written before the F4 incident - say Syria must "stop immediately its attacks against the civilian population."

They call for an "inclusive, orderly and peaceful transition" and note that "all those responsible for ... crimes must be held accountable."

This story was altered at 10.30am Brussels time on 25 June to add the EU foreign ministers' quotes

Opinion

Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?

As autocracies collapsed across Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, Albanians had high expectations that democracy and a free-market economy would bring a better life. But Albania's transition from dictatorship to democracy has been uneven and incomplete.

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Latest News

  1. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  2. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  3. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  4. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  5. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries
  6. The overlooked 'crimes against children' ICC arrest warrant
  7. EU approves 2035 phaseout of polluting cars and vans
  8. New measures to shield the EU against money laundering

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting
  2. EFBWWEU Social Dialogue review – publication of the European Commission package and joint statement of ETUFs
  3. Oxfam InternationalPan Africa Program Progress Report 2022 - Post Covid and Beyond
  4. WWFWWF Living Planet Report
  5. Europan Patent OfficeHydrogen patents for a clean energy future: A global trend analysis of innovation along hydrogen value chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us