Germany’s defense minister on Wednesday described Turkey as a “very important ally” and “friend,” saying Ankara has always played a central role in NATO and that its importance has grown further under current security conditions, Deutsche Welle Turkish edition reported.
Speaking at a joint press conference during the NATO “Steadfast Dart 26” exercise in Putlos near the port city of Kiel in northern Germany, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius praised Turkey’s contribution to what he said is the alliance’s largest exercise of the year.
“Turkey is a very, very important NATO partner on the southeastern flank,” Pistorius said, commending the Turkish Armed Forces for providing the largest national contingent to the drill with around 2,000 troops.
The exercise is aimed at testing NATO’s ability to rapidly move forces across allied territory.
Pistorius said the Turkish navy demonstrated “impressive” and “high-quality” military capabilities that were clearly visible during the maneuvers.
“The contribution of our Turkish allies, our Turkish friends, to this exercise is very important,” he said.
“It is also very important for NATO as a whole because it shows that NATO is bigger than some believe. Turkey has always played a central role in NATO, and today that importance has increased even further.”
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now nearing its fourth year, has raised fears that Moscow could one day use force against European NATO members.
The press conference was also attended by Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands, Turkish Naval Forces Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and Germany’s chief of defense, Gen. Carsten Breuer.
Steadfast Dart 26 brings together about 10,000 troops from 11 European NATO countries.
Germany is hosting the exercise as the German military, the Bundeswehr, has described the country as the alliance’s “logistical hub,” preparing for scenarios in which large numbers of allied troops and equipment would transit through German territory in the event of a crisis.
The United States did not send troops to this year’s exercise, marking the first time a drill of this scale has taken place without US participation.
Pistorius said this was part of NATO’s usual rotation system for major exercises and stressed that European allies were demonstrating their commitment to deterrence.
From January through March, NATO’s rapid reaction force, known as the Allied Reaction Force, is testing its readiness and speed of deployment.
The Putlos segment featured a simulated amphibious landing operation involving Spanish and Turkish troops supported by naval vessels and aircraft.
Turkey’s participation includes the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu as well as the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle, which conducted flights over the Baltic Sea as part of the drill.