Foreign Minister to NATO Chief: We Want to See Solidarity, Not Enough to Say 'We Understand'

Click to read the article in Turkish

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu have held a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidency office in Dolmabahçe, İstanbul.

Stoltenberg will also meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today.

"Turkey's most natural and legitimate expectation is that its allies show solidarity within the framework of indivisibility of security," Çavuşoğlu said.

"It's not enough to say 'we understand Turkey's legitimate concerns,' we want to see clear solidarity. [The operation] is therefore highly important for the security of alliance territory," the minister remarked.

Turkey's most natural and legitimate expectation is that its allies show solidarity within the framework of indivisibility of security, he added.

Çavuşoğlu said that he informed NATO chief Stoltenberg about Operation Peace Spring, and that Turkey expects from its allies to show "strong solidarity".

Stoltenberg: Gains must not be jeopardised

Jens Stoltenberg stressed that no other NATO ally "has suffered more terrorist attacks, exposed to instability, violence and turmoil from the Middle East and hosts so many refugees as Turkey does".

He also urged the international community to find "coordinated and sustainable solution" to deal with ISIS fighters held in Syria.

"While Turkey has legitimate security concerns, I expect Turkey to act with restraint.

"NATO supports Turkey's war against terrorism. We fight terrorism in all its forms and all its manifestations.

"Through the Coalition, we've liberated millions. Gains must not be jeopardised. An imminent concern is that captured Daesh terrorists must not be allowed to escape. International community needs a solution for foreign fighters held in Syria."

When asked if the NATO considers the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Defense Units (YPG) terrorist organizations, Stoltenberg said that NATO does not have a public list of terrorist organizations and that they view all manifestations of terrosim equal.

Turkey considers the PYD and the YPG as Syrian extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party. The YPG is the largest group in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group that controls about one third of the Syrian territory. (RT/VK)