The former NATO Secretary General's book contains explosive remarks about President Erdoğan: "We happily ate our popcorn."

22.10.2025 20:26

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg extensively covered his memories and developments during his ten-year tenure in his book, including his meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Sharing a memory of drinking tea with traditional cups and eating corn together with Erdoğan, Stoltenberg said, "There were about 8-10 of us; everyone happily ate their corn."

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Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's book titled "On My Watch: Leading NATO in a Time Of War," covering his term from October 2014 to October 2024, highlighted his evaluations and memories regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

DOWNING OF THE RUSSIAN PLANE

Referring to the incident of the downing of the Russian plane in 2015, Stoltenberg stated, "NATO's military authorities had confirmed that the plane had indeed entered Turkish airspace, and we needed to communicate our response to the public." The former NATO Secretary General remarked, "It had only been a year since I took office, and I was discovering how much of the job was a political balancing act."

"ISTANBUL, A HISTORICAL CROSSROADS"

Stoltenberg recounted his visit to Istanbul in 2019 to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, describing Istanbul as "a historical crossroads between East and West, between the spiritual and the secular, between Christianity and Islam, a place that has always been a site of cultural and commercial exchange, as well as wars and conflicts."

Referring to their view of the Bosphorus, Stoltenberg mentioned the Çamlıca Mosque, stating that the mosque "symbolized the importance of Islam" for Erdoğan.

Recalling his long-standing acquaintance with Erdoğan, Stoltenberg noted that they had met during his tenure as Prime Minister of Norway, and during an official visit to Ankara in 2012, he and his wife were hosted at Erdoğan's home, where they spent a "pleasant afternoon" over tea.

Stoltenberg emphasized, "Erdoğan is a determined and knowledgeable man who has a deep understanding of the issues. It is easy to communicate with him," adding that Turkey has "always been an important country for NATO and plays a key role in the fight against ISIS."

"YPG IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. YOU HAVE ADMITTED THIS BEFORE. WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND?"

Stoltenberg recounted Erdoğan's memories regarding the goal of establishing a safe zone in northern Syria before the 2019 Peace Spring Operation: "In every face-to-face or phone conversation, Erdoğan kept returning to the same idea: to create a security zone in Syria. A buffer zone that would protect Turkey from different armed groups. A military area to be established with the support of NATO and the U.S. However, I constantly had to remind him that the Alliance (NATO) would never approve any violation of Syria's territorial integrity."

Stoltenberg noted that Erdoğan decided to act unilaterally for this reason, stating that he informed then-U.S. President Donald Trump about the decision to launch a major military operation in northern Syria, after which the U.S. announced it would withdraw its troops from the region.

Stoltenberg conveyed Erdoğan's firm stance on the issue with the following words: "The Turkish operation was necessary. YPG is a terrorist organization. You have admitted this before. Why did you change your mind? You need them to fight ISIS, but that does not make them any less of a terrorist."

Stoltenberg remarked that when Erdoğan said "you," he was referring to the West in general. According to him, the West was making the same terrible mistakes again.

"IT CANNOT BE DENIED THAT TURKEY IS ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED BY TERROR AMONG NATO COUNTRIES"

Stoltenberg noted that President Erdoğan spoke at length about the various terrorist attacks that occurred in Turkey and the lives lost, stating, "I could not verify all these numbers myself, but as I have emphasized many times before, including in the press conference just a few hours ago, it cannot be denied that Turkey is one of the most affected by terrorism among NATO countries."

Stoltenberg pointed out that the U.S. and many of its allies had viewed the terrorist organizations PKK and PKK/YPG as different branches of the same organization for a long time, stating, "After the U.S. and NATO began arming YPG members to eliminate the terrorist state for other countries, it was no longer possible to argue that they were not terrorists."

"THEN WE WILL EAT CORN"

Stoltenberg shared a memory of drinking tea with President Erdoğan in traditional cups, noting, "I must have had a surprised expression because Erdoğan repeated his question: 'Do you like corn? We are right in the corn season.' I said, 'I like corn.' Erdoğan replied, 'Then we will eat corn,' pointing to an official by the door. A few minutes later, a large tray filled with golden corn cobs was brought to us, and we grabbed them. There were about 8-10 of us; everyone joyfully ate their corn. Roasted chestnuts were also served."

Stoltenberg mentioned that Erdoğan questioned why Turkey could not have a legal basis to be present in Syria if the U.S. could, highlighting that Erdoğan pointed out the thousands of Turkish citizens who lost their lives due to terrorist attacks.

"ONCE AGAIN, ERDOĞAN WAS RIGHT"

Stoltenberg conveyed that President Erdoğan asked him, "If going to Syria to neutralize terrorists constitutes a violation of international law, then on what grounds are the US, the UK, and other NATO countries sending soldiers and warplanes to fight against ISIS terrorists?" He made the following assessments: "Once again, Erdoğan was right. We were conducting a large-scale military operation to eliminate ISIS on the ground and from the air through a coalition supported by NATO and led by the US. We were doing this without a clear mandate from the United Nations Security Council. Just as Turkey argued, we were also acting within the framework of the principle of legitimate defense."

"THE KEY WAS IN PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN'S HANDS"

Stoltenberg also addressed Turkey's role in the membership process of Finland and Sweden in his book. He recounted his visit to Istanbul in early November 2022, stating that President Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan hosted them in the best possible way: "(During the Bosphorus tour) the journey became even more interesting with countless anecdotes told by Erdoğan, who was the former mayor of Istanbul. Normally illuminated by red lights, the bridges were now dressed in NATO blue. The weather was pleasant, and the conversation flowed easily."

Stoltenberg reported that Erdoğan told him, "They have not taken enough steps in the fight against terrorism. The steps they will take will determine how the approval process will proceed." Emphasizing that he was in favor of both countries joining at the same time, Stoltenberg used the expression, "The key was in President Erdoğan's hands."

Stoltenberg referred to the incident of the burning of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, stating, "Erdoğan clearly stated that a country that allows such disrespect cannot support NATO membership. After this incident, all discussions between Turkey, Finland, and Sweden were suspended."

"POROSHENKO WAS PLEASED WITH TURKEY'S DELIVERY OF BAYRAKTAR DRONES TO UKRAINE"

In his book, Jens Stoltenberg included a conversation he had with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a flight back to Kiev, without specifying a date. Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine's NATO membership would take time and that progress should be made step by step, as in the case of Sweden and Finland, while Poroshenko found this approach insufficient.

Stoltenberg highlighted that Poroshenko listened to him carefully but did not compromise on his fundamental views, stating: "Ukraine needed more weapons and equipment. They urgently needed drones, anti-tank defenses, and modern air defense systems. They were grateful for Turkey's supply of advanced Bayraktar drones, but they were not pleased with the refusal of the US and other NATO countries to sell weapons to Ukraine. He mentioned Norway; I explained that my country had a policy of not selling weapons to countries involved in ongoing conflicts."

At this point, Stoltenberg recounted that Poroshenko objected, saying, "We need weapons precisely because we are at war." However, he noted that what was more important than anything else was allowing Ukraine to join NATO. In his book, Stoltenberg included Poroshenko's statements: "We do not trust Russia. Ukraine will not be safe until it becomes a NATO member."

"I SAW HOW DESTRUCTIVE THE FAILED COUP ATTEMPT WAS"

Former NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg addressed the July 15 coup attempt in his book, recounting how he personally witnessed the destructiveness of the failed coup during his visit to Ankara.

Stoltenberg shared his impressions from the visit with the following words: "In the General Assembly hall of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, concrete and rubble were scattered everywhere. There was a huge hole above me where a bomb had pierced the roof. Many members of parliament who had been in the adjacent room were shown to me by a parliamentarian. The members of parliament had gathered there that evening to protect the parliament. If the bomb had fallen just a few centimeters closer, many of them would have lost their lives. This was equivalent to the destruction of one of the largest halls in the Norwegian Parliament."

Stoltenberg noted that the coup plotters were suppressed in the early hours of July 16, approximately 300 people lost their lives, and 2,100 were injured. The former NATO Secretary General stated in his book, "On the night of the coup, I declared my support for Turkey's legitimate government. The Turks were deeply disappointed by the reactions in the West; they thought these reactions were too weak and too late. Erdoğan told me, 'Only Theresa May, Carl Bildt, and you stood by us.'"

"TURKS FELT THEY WERE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER ALLIES"

Stoltenberg expressed that the Turks felt they were treated differently from other allies, writing: "The Turks felt they were treated differently from other allies. Erdoğan believed that Turkey was not seen in the same way, and that if other NATO countries had experienced a similar tragedy, the reactions would have been very different."

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Erdoğan and the people view the coup attempt as a terrorist act and were seeking support from the wider world. Erdoğan asked me, 'What solidarity demonstrations are organized every time we become victims of terrorism?'

"TURKEY BECAME MY FOCUS DURING MY TIME AS NATO SECRETARY GENERAL"

Stoltenberg emphasized that during his time as Prime Minister of Norway, his relationship with Turkey was not different from that of other Western European leaders, but that this changed during his tenure as NATO Secretary General. The former NATO Secretary General stated, "Turkey became my focus due to the country's strategic importance in the fight against ISIS (DAESH) and ultimately in the acceptance of new countries into NATO."