NATO chief urges US, Turkey to ‘find solutions’ to row

BRUSSELS - Agence France-Presse

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Oct. 13 urged the United States and Turkey to “sit down and find solutions” to the crisis in relations between the two key alliance members.

The row erupted when a Turkish employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was arrested on suspicion of links to the Gülen movement, accused of masterminding last year’s failed coup attempt.     

Washington halted issuing non-immigrant visas in Turkey in response, followed by a near identical move by Ankara. On Oct. 12 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the U.S. was in danger of “sacrificing” relations.“I only urge the United States and Turkey to sit down and find solutions because it is important for the alliance that we are able to work closely together, especially in that region, because Turkey is a key for our fight against terrorism,” Stoltenberg told AFP in an interview.

Turkey is a key player in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the U.S. uses the İncirlik air base in the country’s south to launch air strikes against the militants in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.“We are always ready to help, but I know there are direct contacts so I am certain Turkey and the United States are talking to each other directly and addressing some of this disputes,” Stoltenberg added.