NATO head urges EU to take 'positive approach' towards Turkey - AA

Ahead of a key EU leaders’ summit, the head of NATO on Dec. 10 urged EU countries not to forget Turkey's importance to the alliance and the West and to seek out “positive approaches.”

Acknowledging the existence of differences and disagreements between allies, Jens Stoltenberg said: “But at the same time we need to make sure that we realize the importance of Turkey as part of NATO and also as part of the Western family.”

“NATO is a platform where also we can discuss an open way when there are differences, disagreements between allies as we see, for instance, in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said.

“At the same time, I think we all have to look for positive approaches, ways to address the differences,” he added.

Adding that the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean – on the EU summit’s agenda – was also discussed at a NATO defense ministers meeting last week, Stoltenberg told reporters: “Of course allies have expressed their concerns. At the same time I think also all allies realize that Turkey is an important ally, because they border Iraq and Syria.”