General Breedlove: Russia Does Not Want Conflict with Turkey and NATO
- By defencematters
Russia does not want a conflict with Turkey and NATO, and NATO and Turkey certainly do not want a conflict with Russia according to General Philip Breedlove the Commander of NATO’s Supreme Allied Command for Europe and U.S. European Command.
Edgars Skvariks
Russia does not want a conflict with Turkey and NATO, and NATO and Turkey certainly do not want a conflict with Russia, the Commander of NATO's Supreme Allied Command for Europe and U.S. European Command, General Philip Breedlove said in an interview with News Agency LETA and Defence Matters.
Commenting on the developments in Syria and Turkey, after Turkey's downing of a Russian jet, Breedlove said that NATO took inviolability of all member states' airspace very seriously, including the airspace of Turkey. This is also evident in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission.
At the same time, NATO member states have individual warning systems, and there are several forums where air and naval incidents can be discussed with Russia. The last time this happened was in Naples, said Breedlove. There are things that are unacceptable to NATO, for instance, flights with transponders turned off, and NATO will continue to work on solving these problems, said the general.
Commenting on the latest developments, Breedlove said that the situation had to be de-escalated and diplomats should work on matters important for both Moscow and Ankara. In the meantime, it is important that NATO continue to honor its commitments, including airspace patrols. NATO wants to de-escalate the situation, and now is the right time to discuss all these matters, said Breedlove, adding that he did not believe Russia wanted a conflict with NATO or Turkey. And Breedlove is absolutely certain that Turkey and NATO do not want a conflict with Russia.
Meanwhile asked whether the developments in Turkey could turn NATO's attention away from the Baltic countries, Breedlove said this would not happen. NATO is a major alliance able to keep track of everything while the fight against terrorism continues. Furthermore, rotation of U.S. troops in the Baltic countries is continuing, and more countries are considering sending troops to the Baltics, said Breedlove, adding it was important that Russian President Vladimir Putin could see several countries' presence in the region.
