For NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, it is still too early to make a statement about the agreement recently concluded between Turkey and Russia on northern Syria. That issue is being discussed extensively today and tomorrow at the half-yearly NATO summit to be held this time in London.
Turkey has agreed with Russia that both countries will jointly control northern Syria, now that the United States has withdrawn their 'boots on the ground'. "I think it's a little early to judge the consequences of the statement, the agreement between President Erdogan and President Putin," said Stoltenberg during a preview at the meeting of defense ministers
The rapprochement of NATO ally Turkey to Russia is of great concern to the other NATO countries, partly because Turkey had already entered northern Syria on its own initiative without first discussing it with the other partners.
Stoltenberg tried to relieve tensions and again welcomed the recent agreement that Turkey had concluded with the United States on a cease-fire following the Turkish invasion of northern Syria. According to Stoltenberg, that agreement led to a major decrease in violence. He called the agreement "something we can build on."
NATO has not yet condemned the military operation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against the Kurdish militia in Syria. Those Kurds were NATO's allies against the Islamic State (IS) terror group. Stoltenberg refused to condemn the Turkish intervention last week.
The NATO summit will also be dominated by France's recent (renewed) criticism of the United States. French President Macron said the European countries are better off without the US in NATO. Macron even called NATO "brain death."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a reaction that she did not share Macron's view of NATO. "NATO remains a cornerstone of our security," Merkel said. Although Macron is satisfied with the communication between armies of NATO countries and joint operations, he believes that the time has come to recognize that NATO "has a strategic and political problem".