NATO to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Idlib Attack

* Photo: Dursun Aydemir - Brussels / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

NATO has announced that the North Atlantic Council, which includes the ambassadors of all 29 NATO allies, will hold an extraordinary meeting today (February 28) following a request by Turkey to hold consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding Washington Treaty on the situation in Syria.

The announcement of the NATO has come following the airstrike that claimed the lives of 33 soldiers in Syria's Idlib yesterday evening.

The Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty says: "The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened."

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The last time it was put into effect was in 2015

It was in 2015 that Turkey called a NATO Article 4 consultation. Following this request, NATO has approved security precautions adapted for Turkey with regards to the threats from Syria.

Some of these precautions were the patrols by the Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), an increased military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as a reinforcement of the intelligence, exploration and surveillance activities in the region.

NATO has condemned the attack

According to NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg over the phone and Stoltenberg has condemned the attacks of Syria and Russia in Idlib, urging de-escalation by all parties of "this dangerous situation."

Expressing his demand that Syria and Russia abide by the international law and support the peace efforts of the United Nations (UN), Stoltenberg has made a call to calm to all sides. (AS/SD)