MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-NATO STOLTENBERG NATO chief says stands in strong solidarity with Turkey

Record ID: 145933

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-NATO STOLTENBERG NATO chief says stands in strong solidarity with Turkey
  • Date: 28th July 2015
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JULY 28, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF NATO HEADQUARTERS NATO FLAG TURKISH FLAG
  • Embargoed: 12th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABVBS3ODEEWWCTRZSB4DN96ZA1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday (July 28) the military alliance stood in strong solidarity with its ally Turkey, which requested an emergency meeting to discuss instability at its borders with Syria and Iraq.
    Turkey requested urgent consultations with its 27 NATO partners in Brussels after stepping up its role in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State with air strikes, also hitting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in Iraq at the weekend.
    "Under Article 4 of the Washington treaty any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. Turkey has requested this meeting in view of the serious security situation," Stoltenberg said as he opened the NATO meeting in Brussels.
    A suicide bomber killed 32 people, mostly young students, in the south-eastern Turkish border town of Suruc last week.
    "Our condolences go to the Turkish government and the families of the victims touched by these terrible acts of terror. Terrorism in all its forms can never be tolerated or justified. It is right and timely that we hold this meeting today, to address the instability on Turkey's doorstep and on NATO's border. NATO is following developments very closely, and we stand in strong solidarity with our ally Turkey," Stoltenberg said.
    Turkey is not invoking Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty, which would require allies to consider military assistance. Ankara twice invoked Article 4 in 2012 to ask for consultations with its NATO allies over the Syria conflict, notably after an aerial clash with Damascus.
    During preparations for Tuesday's meeting, Turkey did not request any air or troop support from its NATO allies, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
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