NATO alters rules to work around Turkish veto on Austria

A file photo of Austrian military forces (by Reuters)

NATO member states have agreed to approve collaborations with non-members on a case-by-case basis following member Turkey’s move to veto cooperation between the military alliance and non-member Austria.

Relations between Turkey and Austria have been sour. Vienna has repeatedly censured Turkey’s human rights record and its decision to enforce constitutional changes. The Austrian government has also said that stalled talks for Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU) should be indefinitely abandoned.

NATO countries on Monday decided to change the bloc’s rules as to work around that diplomatic dispute, according to a NATO official, who spoke anonymously.

“This will substantially reduce the risk of blockages to cooperation with partners across the board,” the official said.

Austria is not a NATO state, though it has been involved in joint operations with the military alliance through its current deployment of 400 troops in Kosovo.

“Turkey has been taking appropriate measures regarding Austria’s participation in NATO activities on the grounds that Austria brings its anti-Turkey attitude to the EU platforms,” said a Turkish diplomat as quoted in the local daily Hurriyet.

Austria’s Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil has condemned the Turkish behavior.

“I strongly condemn Turkey’s course of action in NATO. It is irresponsible behavior against Austria and strengthens my position that Turkey is very far from being part of the EU,” Doskozil said.

“Turkey is endangering the security interests of Europe. The blockade has a long-term impact on the peace missions in the Western Balkans,” he added.

Ankara’s veto also affects NATO partnerships with other associate states, such as Japan and Sweden, which prefer to remain outside the alliance, as well as Ukraine and Georgia, which hope to join the Western alliance in the near future.

The situation has been ongoing since November last year but came to a head this week, days before an alliance meeting in Brussels.

The military alliance, however, insists that despite the procedural stalemate, cooperation with Vienna will continue for the time being since Austria remains a “long-standing NATO partner and we greatly appreciate its valuable contributions to our shared security.”

Turkey joined NATO in 1952, and talks over its accession to the EU have been ongoing since 2005. Those talks were put on hold early this month following, among other things, a referendum in Turkey which gave President Tayyip Erdogan unprecedented executive powers.