thinly veiled
aggression against Turkey? And why are we not speaking up against
Armenia for rolling out the red carpet for Putin’s shock troops? Turkey, after all, is a critical ally in
the global fight against ISIS and is among the only members of the
U.S.-led coalition with bases near strategic ISIS strongholds. In July 2015,
Turkey and the U.S. finalized an agreement to work cooperatively to
combat Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq, allowing the U.S. to
launch air attacks from the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey against
Islamic State terrorist networks in northern Syria.

In international diplomacy, geography is everything

We ignore this threat at our peril. And
in international diplomacy, geography is everything. Armenia borders
three critical U.S. allies: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Russian
forces currently occupy Georgian territory. Azerbaijan steadfastly
resists intimidation from Moscow and isare acquiescing to Putin’s naked show
of force. The history of the 20th century shows us that this will not end well.

Mr. Ereli is also a former deputy spokesman of the State Department. He was U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain from 2007-2011.

The Russia-Armenia alliance is threatening Turkey, a critical U.S. ally

The
Feb. 21 front-page article “For Turkey, high stakes as troubles
intensify” highlighted a critical development: The growing military
alliance between Russia and Armenia is threatening Turkey, an
indispensable U.S. ally and partner in the fight against the Islamic
State. The announcement that Russia is sending a new set of fighter jets
and combat helicopters to an air base only 25 miles from the Turkish
border is just the latest example of this alliance. The two countries’
economic and military ties run deep, bolstered by economic and security
agreements