Ambassadors of NATO states will meet on Tuesday at Ankara's request for talks on a spike in violence between Turkey, the Islamic State group and PKK Kurdish militants, the military alliance said Sunday.
"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," the NATO statement said.
"NATO Allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey," it added.
Ankara invoked a clause from NATO's founding treaty that allows any member to request a meeting of all 28 NATO ambassadors "whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened."
Turkey has launched a two-pronged "anti-terror" cross-border offensive against Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants after a wave of violence in the country, pounding their positions with air strikes and artillery.
The expansion of the campaign to include not just IS targets in Syria but PKK rebels in neighbouring northern Iraq -- themselves bitterly opposed to the jihadists -- has put in jeopardy a truce with the Kurdish militants that has largely held since 2013.
Ambassadors of NATO states will meet on Tuesday at Ankara’s request for talks on a spike in violence between Turkey, the Islamic State group and PKK Kurdish militants, the military alliance said Sunday.
“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,” the NATO statement said.
“NATO Allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey,” it added.
Ankara invoked a clause from NATO’s founding treaty that allows any member to request a meeting of all 28 NATO ambassadors “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.”
Turkey has launched a two-pronged “anti-terror” cross-border offensive against Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants after a wave of violence in the country, pounding their positions with air strikes and artillery.
The expansion of the campaign to include not just IS targets in Syria but PKK rebels in neighbouring northern Iraq — themselves bitterly opposed to the jihadists — has put in jeopardy a truce with the Kurdish militants that has largely held since 2013.
