Being NATO allies strengthens Turkey, Netherlands ties: Envoy

Kwaasteniet also said that the two countries have huge trade potential

Turkey and the Netherlands being NATO allies helps strengthen bilateral ties, Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Marjanne de Kwaasteniet said, Qazet.az reports.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Kwaasteniet, who also serves as the Dutch permanent representative of NATO, said: “Whenever our prime minister (Mark Rutte) and the president (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) come together, defense issues are on their agenda. Whenever they see each other, they talk within the framework of NATO.”

Kwaasteniet highlighted that the countries’ militaries had fought together in Afghanistan, an experience that strengthened their relationship.

She also commented on geographical challenges, saying that the Netherlands is located in Europe's northwest while Turkey is located in NATO’s southeastern territory, which is a harsher and more changing environment.

Turkey joined the military alliance of 29 North American and European countries in 1952 and boasts the second-largest army among member states after the United States.

Ankara attaches the utmost importance to NATO's role in maintaining security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.

“Therefore, of course, Turkey’s perspective on its security is different than ours. This is reasonable just as our perspective is different than those of Poland or Baltic countries,” Kwaasteniet said.

She underlined that continuing dialogue within the scope of NATO is vital to understanding each other’s security concerns.

Turkey and the Netherlands have shared deep-rooted relations for centuries and look forward to further developing their ties. The trade volume between the countries has increased to around $11 billion (TL 189.3 billion), as they eye a goal of $20 billion. Furthermore, about 500,000 Turkish people reside in the Netherlands.

As her duty in Ankara comes to an end, Kwaasteniet said that the topics on the agenda in Turkey are complex and interesting, with NATO issues having an importance place among them. She said that her duty in Ankara has not been easy but it has been compelling.

Kwaasteniet also said that the two countries have huge trade potential.

"There are more than 3,000 Dutch companies operating in Turkey. We also have much more ties thanks to the Turkish community in the Netherlands. So naturally the two countries trade with each other. Therefore, I think there is a lot of potential in this area."