Is Turkey a ‘pariah’ in NATO-EU club?

Is Turkey a ‘pariah’ in NATO-EU club?Did US President Barrack Obama intervene at NATO to give Turkey one of the empty chairs for an assistant secretary-general position?Turkey was at the frontline of defense against the Russian-led Soviet threat for the transatlantic alliance throughout the Cold War, making its military and human assets readily available for deployment by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). With the second largest army in this military alliance, Ankara was what our Western friends often referred to as the “staunch ally” in the most troubled and volatile region of the world.But the picture has changed dramatically in recent years. Turkey no longer considers itself a frontline for anybody and Russia is a newfound friend who is ready and willing to boost trade and political ties with its historic foe, Turkey.We had a similar problem with new NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in terms of an unfulfilled pledge, but that was recently settled. As part of a last-minute deal with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, brokered by US President Barrack Obama, to overcome Ankara’s objections to appointing Rasmussen, Turkey was promised a seat in one of the empty chairs for an assistant secretary-general position. At the first opportunity, Rasmussen bypassed Turkey and appointed a German national to one of the vacant positions, naturally infuriating Ankara. Turkey was calmed several months later with the announcement of Ambassador Hüseyin Diriöz’s selection as an assistant secretary-general for another chair. Undoubtedly the US intervention made a difference.The EU should do its own bidding as well and stop playing the blame game. It is time to pay heed to the concerns raised by Turkey if the EU really wants to boost the security aspect of the organization. As Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu made a cynical point to his colleagues during the ministerial meeting on the sidelines of NATO’s Lisbon summit, Ankara does not want to be part of what he called a “pariah category,” for which it enjoys neither full rights attributed to countries who are both EU and NATO members nor special privileges given non-EU and NATO countries, like Norway. After all, the petty interests of a tiny island cannot and should not be allowed to jeopardize the overwhelming interests of both organizations to cooperate. The responsibility is on the EU’s side.Hmmmm....."Spoken like a true defender of Democratic principles"?Read the full Ottoman dictatorial story here.