Will the Turkish president remain unchecked?
Parts of a Russian S-400 missile defense system were unloaded from a Russian plane at Murted Airport near Ankara last year. The S-400 issue is a serious challenge that undermines NATO militarily, diplomatically and politically, says the author. [Reuters]  Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, on his first transatlantic voyage, Joe Biden made an important visit to NATO. Notwithstanding the agenda items related to the Alliances capabilities to counter threats and key challenges, one burning issue will be on the agenda of the US president: dealing with the messy policies of authoritarian Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in home, in Europe and the Middle East. Restoring NATOs cohesion and credibility is a prerequisite for the long-awaited reset of the engagement process with Russia. The S-400 issue is a serious challenge that undermines NATO militarily, diplomatically and politically. Its not just a problem between Washington and Ankara; it poses a strategic problem for the Alliance as a whole and negatively affects the security of frontline states, including Greece. It can be tackled as a priority to preserve NATOs credibility, restore intra-Alliance confidence and for the unreserved implementation of the axiom of indivisible collective security. Politico-military containment and NATOs persuasive advantage flow from the North Atlantic Treaty. Articles 1 to 5 form the backbone of the Alliance. Yet Turkey, a so-called NATO ally, is seriously questioning the allied foundations of collective defense and solidarity, in defiance of its obligations under the Treaty. Articles 1 and 2 of the NATO Treaty clearly define this, as well as the interests, principles and values which are or should be the basis of our engagement. Article 1 states: The Parties undertake, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means so as not to endanger the peace, security and international justice, and to refrain in their international relations from resorting to the threat or use of force in a manner incompatible with the purposes of the United Nations. The principles of the NATO Charters are treaty obligations and commitments also based on the Charter of the United Nations. It involves two fundamental obligations for member states: first, to settle their international disputes by peaceful means so that international peace, security and justice are not threatened, and second, to refrain from the threat in their international relations. or the use of force. , in a manner incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations. At this critical juncture, the credibility of Alliance negotiations and international politico-military influence are compromised when a Member State ignores these Treaty axioms. As in the case of Turkey using its military force or threatening to use it against others, including NATO allies. This is called the casus belli, Turkeys official position against Greece. Article 2 states that the parties will contribute to the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening their free institutions. The strengthening of democratic and free institutions is an obligation of the NATO Treaty. This is a fundamental precondition for strengthening NATOs contribution to the development of peaceful and friendly international relations. Autocracy and systemic and systematic violations of human rights are incompatible with the provisions of the NATO Charter and with our collective efforts for the development of peaceful and friendly international relations. During the Cold War, we cherished this as the moral advantage of the West in international relations and bloc-to-bloc negotiations. This principle should also apply today while striving to engage and / or deter China and Russia. Free and democratic governance and institutions, and not military aggression and authoritarianism, are fundamental to strengthening the credibility and capacities of the Alliance. In political and non-diplomatic terms, this credibility and moral authority are threatened when democracy, parliamentarism, freedom of religion, press and expression and the right to be different in Turkey are threatened. Beyond NATO, the Biden administrations, the much-desired reset of multilateralism have a name: the United Nations and the Security Council. Multilateralism is the precondition for restoring the effectiveness of the international collective security system, for reshaping the problematic world order. The provisions of the Charter, international law and justice should prevail over unilateral military aggression and threats of war. Statements at the NATO summit may seem futile and rather evasive as long as President Erdogans illegal acts and policies continue to go unchecked. Alexandros P. Mallias is a former Greek Ambassador to Washington.