2015 NATO emergency meeting

Last updated
2015 NATO emergency meeting
DateJuly 28, 2015 (2015-07-28)
Location Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Brussels
TypeEmergency convention
Cause Turkey–ISIL conflict
Organised by Flag of NATO.svg North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The 2015 NATO emergency meeting was an emergency convention of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization called by Turkey, in accordance to Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty. It is the fifth such meeting called in the organisation's 66-year history. [1] The meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium on 28 July 2015 and was attended by ambassadors of all NATO's member states. [2]

Contents

The meeting was called after developments on the Syria–Turkey border resulted in an escalation of violence by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), resulting in Turkey launching airstrikes and domestic police raids against suspected militants. The dissolution of the three-year solution process between the Turkish government and the PKK, as well as a suicide bombing in Suruç initiated by ISIL, were considered to be the main reasons behind the escalation of violence. [3]

Background

Despite a series of terrorist attacks in 2013 and 2015 that were associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkey had until recently followed a policy of relative inaction against the group. The government's policy of inaction was criticised both home and abroad, with relations with NATO becoming strained partly due to Turkey's refusal to allow the United States to use the highly strategic İncirlik Air Base in Adana Province to fight against ISIL. [4]

Since late 2012, the Turkish government has pursued a solution process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), with which the Turkish Armed Forces have been in conflict with for over 40 years. The solution process resulted in relative peace and stability in the predominantly Kurdish south-east of Turkey, though violations of the ceasefire occurred on numerous occasions.

Turkish–NATO relations

Turkey has usually been regarded to be at odds with NATO's policy on ISIL, having been criticised by many of the organisation's members for not doing more to tackle ISIL. [5] However, NATO has responded to Turkish requests to maintain security on the Syria–Turkey border, deploying MIM-104 Patriot missiles on the border in 2013, along with other assets since the beginning of Operation Active Fence in 2012. [6]

Suruç bombing and the Elbeyli Incident

On 20 July 2015, a suicide bombing in the Turkish border town of Suruç, Şanlıurfa Province, led to the death of 32 youth activists who had been preparing to cross the border into the Syrian town of Kobanî, which had until recently been under siege by ISIL. [7] The attack was allegedly perpetrated by an ISIL-linked group named the Dokumacılar, with ISIL claiming responsibility soon after the attack. [8] In response, PKK militants killed two Turkish police officers in the district of Ceylanpınar in retaliation for what they saw as collaboration between ISIL and the governing Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP). [9] On July 23, five ISIL militants attacked Turkish military positions in the Turkish border town of Elbeyli, Kilis Province, killing one soldier and injuring two others. [10]

Operation Martyr Yalçın

The increase in terrorism incidents attributed to both the PKK and ISIL in recent days resulted in Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu launching airstrikes against ISIL positions in Syria and PKK positions in northern Iraq. Following a prolonged period of inaction against ISIL, the airstrikes received support from NATO members, though many stressed that the solution process with the PKK should be maintained. [11] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also announced that the US Air Force would be allowed to use İncirlik Air Base to attack ISIL and maintain a no-fly zone around the border. [12]

At the same time, large-scale domestic police operations against alleged members of ISIL, the PKK and other terrorist groups were conducted nationwide, resulting in the arrests of nearly 600 people in over 22 Provinces of Turkey. [13]

Emergency meeting

Request by Ankara

On July 26, the Turkish government requested the closed-door meeting in accordance to Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which states that countries can request consultations if they believe that their territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk. [14] Such a meeting is the fifth in NATO's 66-year history, with Turkey having called two in 2003 and 2013. [15] NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the meeting would be held in Brussels on 28 July 2015.

Outcome

Although no request for military support had been made, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that he hoped for support and solidarity from Turkey's allies in their campaign against ISIL and the PKK. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also warned that military support would not be unconditional. [16] The United States and Turkey agreed to pursue a strategy of creating an ISIL-free zone in northern Syria, combined with a no-fly zone encompassing the entire Syrian–Turkish border. [17] Regardless, NATO denounced the attack [18] and reassessed NATO assets in Turkey as part of Operation Active Fence. [19]

Related Research Articles

The history of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) began in 1974 as a Marxist–Leninist organization under the leadership of Abdullah Öcalan. In 1978 the organization adopted the name "Kurdistan Workers Party" and waged its low-level Urban War in Turkish Kurdistan between 1978 and 1980. The PKK restructured itself and moved the organization structure to Syria between 1980 and 1984, after the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. The Kurdish-Turkish conflict began in earnest in 1984. The rural-based insurgency lasted between 1984 and 1992. The PKK shifted its activities to include urban attacks against Turkish military bases between 1993–1995 and later 1996–1999. Öcalan was captured in Kenya in early 1999. After a "self declared peace initiative of 1999", hostilities resumed in February 2004. 2013 saw another ceasefire, but the conflict resumed again in 2015 and has continued since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spillover of the Syrian civil war</span> 2011–2019 external impact of the Syrian Civil War

Following the outbreak of the protests of Syrian revolution during the Arab Spring in 2011 and the escalation of the ensuing conflict into a full-scale civil war by mid-2012, the Syrian Civil War became a theatre of proxy warfare between various regional powers such as Turkey and Iran. Spillover of the Syrian civil war into the wider region began when the Iraqi insurgent group known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) started intervening in the conflict from 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War against the Islamic State</span> Military actions against the Islamic State

Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State, in both the Syrian Civil War and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its 2014 Northern Iraq offensives, universally condemned executions, human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian Civil War. These efforts are called the war against the Islamic State, or the war against ISIS. In later years, there were also minor interventions by some states against IS-affiliated groups in Nigeria and Libya. All these efforts significantly degraded the Islamic State's capabilities by around 2019–2020. While moderate fighting continues in Syria, as of 2024, ISIS has been contained to a manageably small area and force capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US intervention in the Syrian civil war</span> Ongoing military intervention in West Asia

On 22 September 2014, the United States officially intervened in the Syrian civil war with the stated aim of fighting the terrorist organization ISIS in support of the international war against it, code named Operation Inherent Resolve. The US currently continues to support the Syrian rebels and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces opposed to both the Islamic State and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Kobanî</span> 2014 ISIL offensive in northern Syria during the Syrian Civil War

The siege of Kobanî was launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on 13 September 2014, in order to capture the Kobanî Canton and its main city of Kobanî in northern Syria, in the de facto autonomous region of Rojava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war</span> Involvement of Turkey in the Syrian civil war

Turkey's involvement in the Syrian Civil War began diplomatically and later escalated militarily. Initially, Turkey condemned the Syrian government at the outbreak of civil unrest in Syria during the spring of 2011; the Turkish government's involvement gradually evolved into military assistance for the Free Syrian Army in July 2011, border clashes in 2012, and direct military interventions in 2016–17, in 2018, in 2019, 2020, and in 2022. The military operations have resulted in the Turkish occupation of northern Syria since August 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suruç bombing</span> 2015 suicide attack in Suruç, Turkey

The Suruç bombing was a suicide attack by the Turkish sect of Islamic State named Dokumacılar against Turkish leftists that took place in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa Province in Turkey on 20 July 2015, outside the Amara Culture Centre. A total of 34 people were killed and 104 were reported injured. Most victims were members of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) Youth Wing and the Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF), university students who were giving a press statement on their planned trip to reconstruct the Syrian border town of Kobanî.

The 2015 Diyarbakır rally bombings occurred on 5 June 2015 in Diyarbakır, Turkey, during an electoral rally of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at 17:55 local time. The bombing took place two days before the June 2015 general election and killed 5 supporters, injuring over 100. A suspect known to be close to ISIL was arrested on June 6 in Gaziantep. By August, suspicions as for the perpetrators had continued to lie on ISIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey–Islamic State conflict</span> Conflict since 2013 between Turkey and the Islamic State (ISIS)

The Turkey–Islamic State conflict were a series of attacks and clashes between the state of Turkey and the Islamic State. Turkey joined the War against the Islamic State in 2016, after the Islamic State attacks in Turkey. The Turkish Armed Forces' Operation Euphrates Shield was aimed against both the Islamic State and the SDF. Part of Turkish-occupied northern Syria, around Jarabulus and al-Bab, was taken after Turkey drove the Islamic State out of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dokumacılar</span> Terrorist organisation linked to ISIL

The Dokumacılar was a faction of the Islamic State based in Turkey that targeted the YPG and the Turkish Armed Forces which were fighting against the Islamic State in the Syrian Civil War. The organisation, thought to have been formed of around 60 militants who joined the Islamic State, was linked to both the 2015 Diyarbakır rally bombings that killed 4 people and the 2015 Suruç bombing that killed 32 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 police raids in Turkey</span>

The 2015 police raids in Turkey were a series of police raids conducted by the General Directorate of Security in 16 different Provinces of Turkey. The July 20th, 2015 Suruç bombing in Suruç killed 32 Kurds. Claimed by ISIS, it was perceived by Kurdish militants as a collaboration between ISIS and Turkey security services, leading to a series of revenge attacks on Turkish policemen and military positions in Adıyaman and Ceylanpınar. The Ceylanpınar incidents saw the assassination of 2 policemen by operatives of disputed affiliation, attributed to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and became the Casus belli for Turkey operations in both Turkey and Iraq.

Operation Martyr Yalçın was a military operation conducted by the Turkish Air Force against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions in Syria, and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, on 24 and 25 July 2015.

In late July 2015, the third phase of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict between various Kurdish insurgent groups and the Turkish government erupted, following a failed two and a half year-long peace process aimed at resolving the long-running conflict.

<i>Konstantiniyye</i> (magazine) Former Turkish-language magazine of the Islamic State

Konstantiniyye was a Turkish language online magazine published online by the Islamic State (IS), and released by al-Hayat Media Center. Konstantiniyye is the old Ottoman name for present day Istanbul.

Controversies during the Turkish general election of November 2015 mainly centred on the escalating violence in the south-east and the rise in domestic terrorist attacks linked to both the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). International concerns also grew over an increase in media censorship, with the government being accused of specifically targeting news outlets known to be close to the Gülen Movement such as Kanaltürk and Bugün TV. Safety concerns due to the escalating conflict resulted in the government proposing to merge ballot boxes in affected areas and to transport them to safer locations, though the opposition criticised the move as an attempt to decrease the votes of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which polled strongly in the June 2015 general election.

These are some of the notable events relating to politics in 2015.

The August 15, 2018, Turkish airstrikes on Sinjar were two airstrikes on İsmail Özden, a leading member of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ). Four others were killed in the airstrike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Active Fence</span> NATO operation in Turkey (2012-present)

Operation Active Fence is an ongoing NATO operation to protect the Turkish southern border region with Syria as part of the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

The Ceylanpınar incident saw the killing of two policemen in Ceylanpınar, Turkey, which led to the resumption of the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. The attack was used by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government as a casus belli to end the 2013-2015 solution process and resume its war against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). As the AKP had failed to win a majority in the June 2015 Turkish general election the month before, and soon after the resuming hostilities announced the November 2015 Turkish snap general election, analysts believe that the Ceylanpınar killings and return to war have been used to increase Turkish nationalist fervor and favored the ruling party taking back control over the Turkish parliament. Other motives have also been advanced, with the Syrian war encouraging extremist parties from both sides to undermine peace efforts by increasing nationalism and readiness for war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of US intervention in the Syrian civil war</span>

The US intervention in the Syrian civil war is the United States-led support of Syrian opposition and the Federation of Northern Syria during the course of the Syrian Civil War and active military involvement led by the United States and its allies — the militaries of the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Turkey, Canada, Australia and more — against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front since 2014. Since early 2017, the U.S. and other Coalition partners have also targeted the Syrian government and its allies via airstrikes and aircraft shoot-downs.

References

  1. ↑ "NATO to hold an incredibly rare emergency meeting". Business Insider. 28 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "IS conflict: Nato discusses Turkey-Syria border crisis". BBC News. 28 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Turkey Calls NATO Meeting on IS". VOA.
  4. ↑ "Turkey Denies Deal Allowing US to Use Its Base For ISIS Fight". Business Insider. 13 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Landler, Mark; Barnard, Anne; Schmitt, Eric (7 October 2014). "Turkish Inaction on ISIS Advance Dismays the U.S." The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Landler, Mark; Barnard, Anne; Schmitt, Eric (7 October 2014). "Turkish Inaction on ISIS Advance Dismays the U.S." The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Suruc massacre: 'Turkish student' was suicide bomber". BBC News. 22 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Banu ŞEN (22 July 2015). "Canlı bombada yeni iddia: İkisi de Dokumacılar üyesi mi?". HÜRRİYET - TÜRKİYE'NİN AÇILIŞ SAYFASI.
  9. ↑ "PKK kills 2 Turkish police officers in retaliation for Suruç blast". Today's Zaman. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Kilis sınırında IŞİD'le çatışma!". www.haberturk.com. 24 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Merkel'den 'Barış Süreci' Vurgusu". Amerika'nin Sesi - Voice of America - Turkish.
  12. ↑ "Could this Turkish airbase swing anti-IS fight? In 60 seconds". BBC News.
  13. ↑ DHA - A.A. - İHA (25 July 2015). "22 ilde terör operasyonu". HÜRRİYET - TÜRKİYE'NİN AÇILIŞ SAYFASI.
  14. ↑ Elizabeth Whitman (27 July 2015). "What Is NATO's Article 4? Why Turkey Called For Consultations Under Rarely Used Provision". International Business Times.
  15. ↑ "After Request by Turkey, NATO Calls Emergency Meeting". Newsweek . 26 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "What can Turkey gain from Nato meeting?". BBC News. 27 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Turkey, US Try to Establish Buffer Despite Differences". VOA.
  18. ↑ "Statement by the North Atlantic Council following meeting under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty". 28 July 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Statement by NATO Foreign Ministers on Assurance to Turkey". 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2022-02-27. On the basis of our December 2012 decision, the Alliance has been augmenting Turkey's air defence. We remain determined, in a spirit of 28 for 28, to continue developing additional NATO assurance measures and Allies are working to prepare other possible contributions.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.