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Britain’s NATO military representative, Lieutenant General Eldon Millar, described the UK and Türkiye as “the bookends of the alliance,” highlighting Ankara’s strategic importance and longstanding contributions to NATO.
Speaking to Turkish news agency Anadolu in an exclusive interview during a visit to Türkiye ahead of the NATO Summit scheduled to be held in Ankara on July 7-8, Millar said Türkiye serves as “a vital bridge between so many different parts of the world” because of its strategic location.
Discussing Britain’s expectations for Europe to shoulder a greater share of NATO’s defense burden, Millar said the alliance’s starting point remains the “imminent and pressing threat” posed by Russia.
“As we continue to recognize that there’s a really imminent and pressing threat from Russia, so I think that frames really where we start,” he said.
Millar said European allies are increasingly taking responsibility for their own security and pointed to developments in defense investments, military capabilities and NATO command structures.
“We’ve seen some really interesting developments in weapons, in terms of different capabilities that people have got. We’ve seen some really interesting and new ways in which we’re commanding and leading the NATO forces,” he said.
He added that European allies have been “stepping up with greater spending and making the investments that are so important” while emphasizing that NATO remains fundamentally a transatlantic alliance.
“I think the key piece, as we look forward to the NATO summit here, is demonstrating the role that Europe is taking in its own security to make our entire alliance stronger,” Millar said.
Highlighting Türkiye’s position within the alliance, Millar described the country as “such an important NATO partner” that has played a pivotal role in NATO for decades.
“If you look at what Türkiye brings to the alliance, it’s a vital bridge between so many different parts of the world in terms of its strategic location. But more than that, it brings real capabilities to the alliance,” he said.
Millar also pointed to NATO facilities located in Türkiye and Ankara’s operational contributions across alliance missions.
“We have some vitally important alliance bases here in Türkiye,” he said.
“And it continues to play a really important part in almost every single operation, mission and activity that the alliance does. So, in many ways, Türkiye is such an important member of the alliance,” he added.
Referring to his relationship with Turkish officials in Brussels, Millar said cooperation between London and Ankara remains close across multiple NATO issues.
“We often say to each other that in one sense, the UK and Türkiye are the bookends of the alliance. North and South, East and West, our countries are geographically positioned in that space,” he said.
Millar also highlighted the broader bilateral defense relationship between Türkiye and Britain, including cooperation under the Eurofighter Typhoon project.
Referring to the technical and logistical support agreement signed between the two countries, he said joint military exercises continue regularly.
“We train together routinely, and I think there’ll be a very exciting and interesting program of training, which will be coming together soon,” he said.
He added that Turkish and British forces have frequently served together in operations.
“There has barely been an operation that I have been on where I have not been shoulder to shoulder with Turkish colleagues on those operations,” he said.
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Millar also recalled his recent visit to Kosovo, where Turkish personnel command NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR).
“We’re very proud that we have a number of UK personnel serving under a Turkish general in that operation,” he said.
“The relationship between Türkiye and the UK has always been strong. It remains a very strong relationship,” he added.
During his visit to Ankara, Millar also visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye.
“It was a real privilege for me to be able to go and pay my respects,” he said.
Millar added that he was particularly struck by the emphasis placed on Türkiye’s relationship with the wider world, especially with Britain.
“I think, at its heart, there’s always been a strong relationship. And I hope I can do my small part to make that relationship ever, ever stronger,” he said.
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