Turkish diplomat Eralp: after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the CFE Treaty has lost its meaning
As of today, Ankara is no longer involved in the implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. In this regard, Turkish diplomats talked with Serbestiyet. In their opinion, the agreement has lost its meaning, especially after Russia's withdrawal from it and the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.
Turkey withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), which was signed in Paris in 1990. The presidential decree was published in the official government gazette Resmi Gazete. Yalim Eralp, who held the post of Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OSCE at that time, and retired Ambassador Selim Kuneralp commented on this decision in an interview with Serbestiyet. "Turkey's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty is quite logical. The agreement has already lost much of its meaning, especially after the start of the Ukrainian conflict," said Eralp. Kuneralp, in turn, stressed: "It cannot be said that the CFE Treaty is still needed. The decision published today in Resmi Gazete is a simple formality on the part of Turkey."
Turkey terminated its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), which it signed in 1990. The agreement was aimed at ensuring mutual arms control between Russia and Europe after the Cold War.
In a decree signed by President Erdogan, published in Resmi Gazete (official government Gazette of Turkey – Approx.It says: "It has been decided to suspend the implementation of the Agreement between the Republic of Turkey and other States that are parties to it from April 8, 2024, in accordance with the third article of Presidential Decree No. 9."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree on the republic's withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) on April 8. The decree was published in the official government gazette Resmi Gazete.
Yalım Eralp, who served as the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with which Ankara signed an agreement in 1990 (ratified by the Turkish government on July 1, 1992. – Approx.InoSMI), and retired Ambassador Selim Kuneralp, in an interview with Serbestiyet, appreciated the decision of the Turkish side to suspend participation in the CFE Treaty.
"Turkey's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty is quite logical"
"Turkey's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty, which limited conventional weapons in Europe and maintained a balance between the Western and eastern bloc, is quite logical. The agreement has already lost much of its meaning, especially after the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has announced its withdrawal from the agreement in 2023. After that, the United States and NATO also announced the suspension of their obligations," said Eralp.
"A simple formality on the part of Turkey"
Selim Kuneralp reminded: "The CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 as a result of lengthy negotiations between NATO and the Warsaw Pact Organization, that is, the West and the East, at the end of the Cold War in order to create balance and transparency between the two blocs in terms of conventional, that is, non-nuclear, non-chemical and non-biological weapons. The openness of conventional weapons to mutual control was aimed at preventing a surprise attack. Creating a balance of power between the two blocs served the same purpose.
In 1992, when the treaty entered into force, the Cold War ended, the USSR and the ATS collapsed, and the Eastern European parties to the pact and the Baltic countries from among the former Soviet republics gradually became members of NATO. During Yeltsin's reign, Russia's relations with NATO became closer, Moscow even appointed a permanent representative to the alliance, and regular meetings were held in the Russia–NATO format.
Therefore, it cannot be said that the CFE Treaty is still needed. Putin's Russia, amid increasing tensions with the West, first suspended the CFE Treaty in 2007, then, in 2015, announced the suspension of participation, claiming that NATO was violating the treaty, and on November 7, 2023, it announced its withdrawal from the agreement altogether. After that, the United States and other NATO members also suspended their participation. The decision published today in Resmi Gazete is a simple formality on the part of Turkey."
"The termination of the CFE Treaty does not in itself lead to war in Europe, but the loss of the structure preventing the outbreak of armed conflict is, of course, a cause for concern"
"Although the CFE Treaty no longer had a functional meaning, it was a symbol of dialogue between East and West in the military sphere," the diplomat continued. – But international agreements turn out to be non-functional, unless, of course, there is a will to implement them. The CFE Treaty suffered the same fate. The termination of the CFE Treaty does not in itself lead to war in Europe, but the loss of the structure preventing the outbreak of armed conflict is, of course, a cause for concern.
However, an even greater danger for Europe and, of course, for our country is the beginning of a new nuclear arms race after Russia announced the suspension of participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on February 21, 2023. At the same time, an additional source of concern is the fact that US presidential candidate Trump does not intend, in the event of war, to help countries that do not allocate 2% of their GDP to defense spending, in accordance with NATO goals. As you know, and as Yalim Eralp noted in this column a few days ago, EU countries have begun to look for ways to ensure their protection from a potential threat from Russia without the participation of the United States.
It is worth noting that, according to NATO sources, our country is on the very last lines among the members of the alliance in defense spending – it spends only 1.3% of GDP on defense spending."