Last November, Turkey shot down a Russian jet flying through Syrian airspace. While many feared that the incident would plunge both countries into war, conflict was avoided, though relations between Moscow and Ankara have remained chilly.
As Turkey pushes to deploy ground forces across its border to remove the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish government is, again, threatening the world with war.
"The armed forces of the two states are both active in fierce fighting on the Turkish-Syrian border, in some cases just a few kilometers from each other," one NATO official told Der Spiegel.
Ankara’s aggression seems partially based on the assumption that, should conflict erupt, Turkey will be supported by its NATO allies. According to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, the collective defense clause would be invoked if any member state is attacked.
But European leaders have made it abundantly clear that they have no interest in participating in a war of Turkey’s making.
"NATO cannot allow itself to be pulled into a military escalation with Russia as a result of the recent tensions between Russia and Turkey," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Der Spiegel.
Of Article 5, Asselborn stressed that "the guarantee is only valid when a member state is clearly attacked."
Germany appears to agree.
"We are not going to pay the price for a war started by the Turks," said a German diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
NATO leadership made similar warnings soon after Turkey’s downing of the Russian bomber last year.
"We have to avoid that situations, incidents, accidents spiral out of control," NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said at the time. "I think I’ve expressed very clearly that we are calling for calm and de-escalation. This is a serious situation."
On Friday, French President Francois Hollande stressed the need to prevent conflict between Moscow and Ankara.
"There is a risk of war between Turkey and Russia," he said in an interview with France Inter radio.
As Turkey calls to escalate the violence in Syria, Russia has called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address its concerns over the rising tensions.
"The situation is becoming more tense due to increased tensions on the Syrian-Turkish border and Turkey’s stated plans to send troops to northern Syria," reads a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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| -1 | Edit | Delete The critical mass here is after the Russian retaliation of Turkey will this lead to mass migration to Europe of Turks? and is this the real master plan option 5! that US and its band of evil planned. It all fits prior rhetoric and actions!!? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete I cant believe how gullible Europe is! they should be all out supporting Russia to finish the job and keep Turkey in its cage! starting with expulsion from NATO and a complete restructuring to end the cold war and start trading with BRICS. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete As also beautifully blackmailed by Turkey! 'what a web we weave' except the spider was turfed out by a Russian tarantula. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete vendor, so in some ways, Russia's credibility is being tested? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete michael, we will see soon. The soft prick has given in as it seems;
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| 0 | Edit | Delete ivanwa88, read the news and you will see that Obama is bending down as well :) Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete vendor, I wonder what the price was? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete michael, Russia may be tested. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete Preparation is vital for Russia before rushing in to please the enthusiasts. If it intervenes and a Russian General did report today that they will bomb Turks if they march on Syrian soil! they need to plan well ahead and get logistics ready! don't forget Russia is a long way from home! Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete vendor, high price for both the victor and the vanquished and the americans may not be as safe as they think....bystanders aren't always unscathed. (to wax poetical) Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete ivanwa88, mate, I still have a few good Moons ahead of me even though I have been called old bones for some time. I can wait.This is the phase where victors would want to position themselves in order to be able to claim their pound of flash. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete michael, I do not think the Americans will get their boots dirty. I think it will be the Turks and maybe KSA and Qatar. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete vendor, unless it's some of their spec.ops. that are casualties??? But otherwise agree.. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete There are no winners in war! but by crikey! some justice may be served up. Reply 
| -1 | Edit | Delete We all need to remember that all the western countries[ dictatorships] are controlled by the jewish mafia. If there is a war all free men must fight the true evil that hides beneath the flags we wave. The bankers work for their evil master and use us as a means for them to gain total control. Our governments are opposed to Russia ever since Mr. Putin re-consecrated Russia back to Christ. Our supposed jewish friends hate Christ and all non jews. They have sought to kill all free men for hundreds of years. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete And there it is.. buuuurn! Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete vendor, I read the original article at RT news and thought it was crap but only days later the U.S. site Veterans Today (careful, there are pop-ups and worse on that site) came out with a continuation of the story.
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| 0 | Edit | Delete Recep is a troublemaker willing for aggression against anybody and should be kept in a leash. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete Moscow will be wrong to believe this postulating. Turkey has been directed to act the way it does by NATO, and they have publicly stated that their short, mid, and long term goal is to destroy Russia. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete NATO is barely held together and Russia is a ruse by the west to maintain hegemony.
Show new comments (0)ivanwa88
So destroying Turkey is also destroying Europe building to the eventual destruction of Russia! whilst US paints its nails and has a beer in a comfy chair!
Russia will need to select its targets very carefully to accommodate!
ivanwa88
They have been sucked in by a desperate US and have completely screwed the deal.
ivanwa88
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Turkey’s presidency said U.S. President Barack Obama had shared his concerns over the Syrian conflict and promised his support on Friday, hours after a tense exchange between the two NATO allies over the role of Kurdish militants. In a phone conversation that lasted one hour and 20 minutes, Ankara said Obama had told his counterpart President Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey had a right to self-defense, and expressed worries over advances by Syrian Kurdish militias near Turkey’s border. Obama stressed to Erdogan that Syrian Kurdish YPG forces should not seek to exploit recent gains by the Syrian government to seize additional territory, the White House said in a statement.
www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkey-says-obama-shares-syria-concerns-erdogan-affirms-support | Al-Masdar News
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ivanwa88
I do think we armchair exponents should keep ourselves in check sometimes!
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ivanwa88
jerryreddy1010
hp
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Once the U.S. ship has returned to an allied port for repairs, twenty or more crew requested re-assignment. Similarly, subsequent to that event the U.S. navy announced another couple of hundred million in spending on their 'electronic warfare'.
Alvaro Marfan
BlueStar
Ivan Buckeye
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