NATO, Turkey to meet over ISIL, PKK on Ankara’s request
NATO ambassadors are to meet for talks called by Turkey over Ankara’s military operations against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) group.
"Turkey requested the meeting in view of the seriousness of the situation after the heinous terrorist attacks in recent days, and also to inform Allies of the measures it is taking," said a NATO statement released on Sunday.
Turkey launched a military campaign against what it purports to be ISIL targets in Syria and PKK positions in northern Iraq on Friday, following an attack in the southwestern Turkish town of Suruç, which claimed the lives of at least 32 people, on July 20.
According to the statement, the meeting is to be held in the Belgian capital Brussels on Tuesday.
Ankara’s request is based on Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which permits members to call for such meetings on condition that their territorial integrity or security is under threat, the state-run BBC quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as saying.
"When Turkey requests for such a meeting I think it's very right and very timely to have a meeting where we address the turmoil and the instability we see in Syria, Iraq and surrounding and close to NATO borders of Turkey," he said.
Turkey blames the PKK for a series of attacks against its security forces in recent days.
The Turkish government is believed to be one of the main supporters of the terrorist groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011, with reports showing that Ankara actively trains and arms the militants operating in Syria, and also facilitates safe passage of would-be foreign terrorists into crisis-hit areas.
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