Syria airstrikes: NATO chief says Türkiye's response to 'terrorism' should be 'proportionate'

Photo: AA/File

Türkiye has the right to defend itself against "terrorist acts" but its response should be "proportionate," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday (November 20) about the country's airstrikes in the northern parts of Syria and Iraq.

In the early hours of yesterday, about 70 aircraft, including warplanes and drones, struck some 89 targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq and the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, according to the government.

The strikes were in retaliation for the deadly bomb attack in İstanbul on November 13, the government said. Both the PKK and the YPG denied involvement in the attack.

When asked about the attacks during a live interview on the Sweden-based SVT channel, Stoltenberg said, "It must be proportionate, but Türkiye has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks," noting that it is the country "that suffers the most from terrorist attacks."

NATO membership

Stoltenberg also urged Sweden and Finland to tighten their anti-terror laws and expand cooperation with NATO in this regard.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the two countries for tolerating and even supporting "terrorist groups."

The three countries signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding on June 28 at the NATO summit in Madrid, which stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Defense Units (YPG), which Türkiye sees as the PKK's extensions in Syria.

The Nordic countries also agreed to address Ankara's pending deportation or extradition requests.

Türkiye's parliament must ratify the country's approval for Finland and Sweden's membership for them to join NATO.

In September, Sweden lifted restrictions on arms sales to Türkiye, which was among Ankara's demands in order to approve its NATO bid. (VK)