Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Colonel General Alexus Grinkevich, said: “Turkey is an extremely important ally with an extremely capable military force. Some of the best leaders serving in the alliance come from Turkey.”
Grinkevich at the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SHAPE) headquarters in the Belgian city Mons responded to Anadolu Agency’s questions about cooperation between NATO and the European Union (EU) and Turkey’s contribution to European security.
The General noted that the alliance is making efforts to ensure coherence and pool strengths in cooperation with the EU, adding that NATO has a clear military command structure and in this context offers advice on the required technological capabilities, and cooperation with the EU is going well.
Some of the best leaders of the Alliance are representatives of Turkey
“Turkey is an extremely important ally with an extremely capable military. Some of the best leaders in the Alliance come from Turkey. At present, for example, our commander in Kosovo is given a lot of confidence, and I am really very grateful for that.” – he noted.
Hybrid threats do not pose an existential threat to NATO
Grinkevich noted that recently there has been an increase in hybrid threats in Europe and, in connection with this, continued attacks are possible: “All of this is part of a network of hybrid actions. Some of them are committed carelessly, some are done intentionally. We know that Russia is behind some of them, perhaps not behind all of them, but definitely behind some of them. Our society should also know this.”
By in his words, “the problem is under control”: “Hybrid threats do not pose an existential threat to the Alliance. They do not weaken our unity. We can respond to them, we can manage them.”
The commander also noted that NATO is considering more “proactive” actions, but emphasized that NATO is a defensive alliance.
Russia tests us every day
When asked about the “potential aggressiveness” of Russia, Grinkevich responded: “Russia tests us every day. I think we are tested every day,” she replied.
The general believes that the main risk lies in “close cooperation between NATO’s adversaries.” He emphasized that China is financing Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea is supplying troops and equipment, and Iran is supplying equipment and technology.