The Ministry of National Defense of Turkey congratulated NATO on the 75th anniversary of the foundation.
“Congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the creation of NATO, the outstanding member of which Turkey has been since 1952,” the publication of the defense department on social networks in Turkish and English says.
It is emphasized that Turkey will continue to successfully fulfill all the obligations and missions that have taken upon itself from the moment of joining NATO in 1952, and remain an active participant in the North Atlantic Alliance.
The department added that the mobile application of the ministry can view the content prepared on this topic.
Turkey joined NATO in 1952, three years after the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance, becoming the 13th member of the military-political bloc.
Today, Turkey has a second largest army as part of NATO, making a significant contribution to the defense of the southeastern flank of the Alliance.
The Protocol on Turkey’s entry into NATO was signed on October 17, 1951 by President Jalal Bayar. Officially, Ankara became a member of the alliance on February 18, 1952.
North Atlantic Alliance, known as NATO, was created in 1949 by 12 countries – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and USA.
Turkish membership in NATO has become an important milestone in the development of the military-political bloc. For NATO, Turkish membership meant the presence on the southern flank of a reliable ally with a powerful air, ground and marine military potential.
Türkiye today continues to make a valuable contribution to achieving the goals of the North Atlantic Alliance.
At the same time, NATO is important for Turkey as one of the fundamental elements of security and the country’s defense system.
Türkiye is included in the five countries making the most significant contribution to the mission and NATO operations. Ankara supported the alliance mission in many regions of the world, including the Balkan Peninsula, in Afghanistan, the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions. The steps of Ankara are widely recognized by the leadership of the NATO Bloc.