NATO Backs Turkey But Mute on Response Over Downed Plane
NATO ambassadors expressed strong solidarity with Turkey over Syria’s downing of a Turkish military reconnaissance plane last week, writes Laura Rozen. But the military alliance remained notably quiet on the looming question of what further action it may be willing to contemplate.
NATO ambassadors, meeting in Brussels Tuesday, expressed strong solidarity with Turkey, a member-nation, over Syria’s downing of a Turkish military reconnaissance plane last week (June 22). But the 28-member military alliance remained notably muted on the looming question of what further action it may be willing to contemplate, vowing only to “remain seized” of developments.
“Let me make this clear: The security of the Alliance is indivisible,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a press briefing following the meeting of the North Atlantic Council Tuesday. “We stand together with Turkey in the spirit of strong solidarity.”
“I would certainly expect that such an incident won’t happen again,” Rasmussen said. “Should anything happen Allies will remain seized of development, we closely monitor the situation and if necessary we will consult and discuss what else could be done.”
The meeting in Brussels came as reports emerged Tuesday suggesting the downed Turkish aircraft, an unarmed RF-4E Phantom reconnaissance fighter jet, may have been conducting a spying mission over Syria. But Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, while acknowledging in comments Monday it was outfitted for espionage, “strongly denied it was doing so on this particular mission,” the New York Times reported, in an article noting that the two-seat aircraft “has the ability to gather high-resolution imagery about 60 miles from the target, aviation experts said.”
