NATO says it is prepared to send troops to Turkey to defend its ally after violations of Turkish airspace by Russian jets bombing Syria.
Russia launched its air campaign against “terrorist” targets in Syria last week but has infringed on Turkey’s airspace, and drawn accusations its intentions are to destroy opponents of president Bashar al-Assad, not Islamic State terrorists.
“In Syria, we have seen a troubling escalation of Russian military activities,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
“We will assess the latest developments and their implications for the security of the alliance,” he said.
Officials at the US-led alliance are still smarting from Russia’s incursions into Turkey’s airspace and NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels with the agenda likely to be dominated by the Syria crisis.
Moscow has upped the ante dramatically with the launch of an unprecedented series of cruise missile attacks to cover a Syrian army ground offensive against rebels seeking the ouster of long-term Russian ally Mr Assad.
NATO has stationed anti-missile Patriot batteries in Turkey to protect it from any spillover of the Syrian conflict but they are due to be removed later this year.
Asked if NATO would now consider extending their mission in light of Russia’s actions, Mr Stoltenberg said: “NATO is ready and able ready to defend all allies against any threat, including Turkey.”
He said NATO’s decision to boost its readiness was not driven solely by Russia’s intervention in favour of pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine.
“It is a response both to the challenges we see to the east but also to the challenges we see to the south,” he said.
“NATO has already responded by increasing our capacity, our ability our preparedness to deploy forces, including to the south, including in Turkey, if needed,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia wants to keep good ties with Turkey, after Ankara voiced its growing anger at Moscow’s military intervention in Syria.
“As for the Russian air force operation in Syria, our actions in support of safeguarding Syria contribute to ensuring stability and security in the region sitting on Turkey’s borders,” Mr Peskov told a call with journalists.
Mr Peskov also said any increased presence of British troops in eastern Europe would be regrettable and would amount to Britain using an alleged Russian threat as camouflage to press ahead with NATO expansion.
He added that Russia would act in order to ensure “parity” should Britain do this.
As Russian and US planes fly combat missions over the same country for the first time since World War II, NATO is eager to avoid any international escalation of the Syrian conflict that has unexpectedly turned the alliance’s attention away from Ukraine following Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and his defence minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday said Russian warships launched cruise missile strikes against 11 Islamic State targets in Syria.
Four warships in the Caspian sea launched 26 missiles which passed over Iran and Iraq to reach their targets, covering what Mr Shoigu described as a distance of almost 1,500 km.
While the US has ruled out military cooperation with Russia in Syria, NATO defence ministers will discuss how to encourage Russia to help resolve the crisis, betting that Moscow also wants to avoid being bogged down in a long conflict.
“There has to be a political solution, a transition,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
“Russia is making a very serious situation in Syria much more dangerous,” Britain’s defence minister Michael Fallon said, calling on Moscow to use its influence on Mr Assad to stop bombing civilians.
source:abc.net.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 