NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN’S VISIT TO ANKARA

Aysor
Aug 28 2009
Armenia

Turkey dropped its opposition to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen in April after mediation by US President Barack Obama.

Since his swearing-in as NATO’s top official on August 1, Rasmussen
has listed "intensifying dialogue and cooperation" with the Muslim
world as one of his chief goals, reports Deutsche Welle Germany’s
international online broadcaster.

Rasmussen said in remarks published on Wednesday that Turkey
should play a larger and more visible role in NATO’s operations in
Afghanistan. Turkey currently contributes about 730 soldiers to NATO’s
International Security Assistance Force, but their scope is limited
to Kabul and the surrounding area. Rasmussen has said that having the
secular but predominantly Muslim country play a more active role in
Afghanistan could counter the perception among other Muslim countries
that NATO forces are waging a religious war.

Rasmussen is also expected to reiterate concerns he stated on Tuesday,
in advance of a visit to Greece, that animosity between the two
Mediterranean NATO members was affecting their troops’ effectiveness
during missions in Africa and Afghanistan. He urged both sides to
put aside their differences regarding the island of Cyprus, where the
southern two-thirds of the island are governed by Greek Cypriots and
the north is ruled by a Turkish Cypriot government recognized only
by Ankara.

On the agenda of Rasmussen’s talks with Greek officials were also the
improvement of NATO-EU relations, the issue of the recognition of the
Greek Cypriot government by Turkey, sending extra troops to Afghanistan
and Kosovo, the Macedonia issue in regards to NATO’s enlargement,
NATO-Russia relations and Europe’s new defense strategies, the Cihan
news agency reported.