NATO backs Turkey's 'transparency' on Syria operation

Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg says no other NATO ally suffers as much from terrorist attacks as Turkey

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - NATO welcomes Turkey's "transparency" in its ongoing counter-terrorist Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria, the alliance’s chief said on Monday.

"[Foreign] Minister Cavusoglu briefed me on Operation Olive Branch, and I am grateful for Turkey’s continued transparency on this," Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the capital Ankara.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear the terrorist groups YPG/PKK and Daesh from Afrin, northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.

Stoltenberg said Turkey "really" did a lot for the alliance despite facing "serious" security challenges.

"No other NATO ally has suffered as many terrorist attacks as Turkey," he pointed out. "And you are the ally most exposed to the instability in this region."

Cavusoglu said he and Stoltenberg discussed regional issues, including Syria, Libya, Iraq, and a NATO summit set for July in Brussels.

He said Stoltenberg had visited Turkey seven times now, adding: "This is a sign of the importance placed on Turkey as an ally."

Kaynak: