NATO condemns shooting down of Turkish plane

Today, the North Atlantic Council discussed Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish plane on 22 June. Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented, “Norway supports NATO’s condemnation of the shooting down of the Turkish plane. Turkey was right to consult NATO in this matter, and it was important that it did so.”

At the meeting, Turkey informed the North Atlantic Council of the incident on 22 June and of how it has been dealt with. In a joint statement after the meeting, NATO condemned the incident and emphasised the Alliance’s solidarity with Turkey.  NATO sees this as yet another example of the Syrian authorities’ lack of respect for international norms, peace and security and human life. NATO will continue to follow the situation closely and will keep up-to-date with developments.

“I have expressed Norway’s condemnation of the incident and our solidarity with Turkey directly to my Turkish colleague, Foreign Minister Davutoglu,” said Støre.

Turkey requested today’s meeting with reference to Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which gives member countries the right to consult the Alliance in a situation where their territorial integrity, political independence or security is considered to be threatened.