Türkiye suspends Conventional Arms Reduction Treaty

Ankara suspended its participation in the key European arms control treaty, which was meant to prevent the emergence of new conflicts on the continent after the end of the Cold War.

Turkey will suspend implementation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty on April 8, according to a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and published on Friday.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Encu Kechli said: “Since Russia withdrew from the agreement in November, there is no possibility to continue the meaningful implementation of the treaty”.

Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty was signed in 1990 by NATO and Soviet Union. Its main purpose was to limit the number of tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery, and aircraft that each side could deploy between the Atlantic coast and the Ural Mountains. The agreement was later amended to reflect the collapse of the Soviet bloc and NATO’s eastward expansion in the late 1990s.