NATO ministers discuss measures to defend Turkish airspace

Western allies are debating stepped-up measures to help defend the Turkish border after the country shot down a Russian jet last week, Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Foreign ministers from North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies are gathering in Brussels Tuesday and Wednesday to talk on a range of topics, from Russian aggression to troop levels in Afghanistan to bolstering defenses on the alliance’s southern flank.

Allies have been discussing how to help Turkey defend its airspace for years, but the talks have gained new urgency with the downing of the Russian plane, that NATO says briefly entered Turkish airspace last week.

Russia has demanded an apology from Turkey, put in place a travel ban for Russian nationals as well as economic sanctions. Turkey has refused to apologize. While NATO has backed Turkey’s right to defend itself, it has urged dialogue between Ankara and Moscow to de-escalate tensions.

NATO’s defense of Turkey has consisted of Patriot antimissile batteries, but allies are beginning to offer other, more flexible capabilities to Ankara.

Before the Russian jet was downed, the US had said that it had deployed F-15 interceptor aircraft to Turkey and the UK will also base aircraft there. Germany and Denmark are contributing command ships to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean.

Alliance officials said allies are also considering deploying air defense systems, similar to the US-made Patriot batteries, as well as additional naval assets to place under alliance command in the Mediterranean.

“All of this is relevant for Turkey; it is part of the assurance measures for Turkey,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

Mr. Stoltenberg said allies will decide in the coming weeks about additional assets to deploy to the region.

Asked about the deployment of S-400 missile systems in Syria, Mr. Stoltenberg said the stepped-up Russian military deployments of advanced military capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean, around the Baltic Sea and in the Black Sea region were of concern.

“This is part of a pattern,” he said. “Russia is developing what is called anti-access, area-denial capabilities. That is exactly one of the reason NATO is adapting. That is the reason we have increased the readiness and preparedness of our forces.”

Alliance members are also due to discuss a new strategy for countering so-called hybrid warfare, where Russia uses deception techniques to mask the movements of its military forces. Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, is due to join ministers Tuesday to discuss the new approach.

Sources: MENA