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 by Staff Writers Warsaw (AFP) Dec 3, 2019
NATO does not consider Russia an enemy but would respond to an attack on Poland and the Baltic states, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published on Tuesday. The interview came as Turkey threatened to block new NATO plans to defend the Baltic states and Poland -- presumably from a Russian attack -- unless Western powers recognised a Kurdish militant group as terrorists. "Through the presence of NATO forces in Poland and the Baltic states we are sending a very strong signal to Russia: if there is any attack on Poland and the Baltic states, the entire alliance will respond," Stoltenberg told Poland's Rzeczpospolita newspaper as the alliance met for a summit riven by tensions in London. "We do not define Russia in this way (as an enemy)," Stoltenberg said, adding that "we must be certain that there is no possibility that what we saw in Ukraine, meaning Russia's armed invasion of its neighbour, could be repeated against a NATO member". President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday that Turkey would block a mooted plan to defend Baltic countries if the allianced failed to give Ankara support in its fight against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The NATO summit, marking the alliance's 70th anniversary, was set to be a tense affair with Turkey at odds with other members over its purchase of Russian missiles and recent offensive in northern Syria. US President Donald Trump also declared on Tuesday that his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron's criticism of NATO as "brain dead" was very insulting. "NATO serves a great purpose," Trump said, at a joint press appearance with Stoltenberg ahead of the summit.
Erdogan threatens to block NATO's Baltic defence plan The NATO meeting, marking the alliance's 70th anniversary, was set to be a tense affair with Turkey at odds with other members over its purchase of Russian missiles and recent offensive in northern Syria -- among other issues. It was reported last week that Ankara was blocking NATO's new Baltic defence plan, demanding greater support in its fight against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Nato has mooted a plan to bolster the defences of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia against a potential attack from Russia, though details remain unclear. Erdogan said he had spoken to Poland's President Andrzej Duda on Monday and would discuss the YPG issue with Poland and the Baltic countries in London. "With joy, we will come together and have talks on this issue," Erdogan said at a press conference in Ankara before boarding the plane. "But if terror organisations whom we fight against are not accepted by NATO friends as terror groups, sorry but we will be against all steps to be taken there." The YPG is closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody insurgency against Turkey since 1984 and is designated a terrorist organisation by Ankara and its Western allies. But Western countries have used the YPG as a frontline force against the Islamic State group (IS) and opposed Turkey's offensive against them in October. Erdogan hit out last week at French President Emmanuel Macron for his criticism of the offensive, saying he was suffering from "brain death". He is due to take part in a four-way summit on Syria with leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom during the visit. There are also tensions over Turkey's recent purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, which could lead the US to impose economic sanctions. "Our good relations with Russia and other countries is not an alternative to our relationship with our allies. It's the opposite: it is complementary," Erdogan said.
Sri Lanka president warns West investment needed to keep China at bay New Delhi (AFP) Dec 1, 2019 Sri Lanka's new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has warned India and Western nations that his country will be forced to seek finance from China again if they do not invest in the island. Rajapaksa told the Hindu newspaper in an interview published Sunday that other Asian nations would also turn to China's giant Belt and Road infrastructure project without alternative help. Sri Lanka has traditionally been allied to India but became close to China, securing about $7 billion in loans and investment, ... read more
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