“There has to be a political solution, a transition”, Stoltenberg said.
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Meanwhile, Britain confirmed it is to deploy troops on NATO’s eastern flank as “reassurance” for Poland and the Baltic countries against Russian Federation.
Russian Federation says it is fighting Islamic State in Syria.
Also, Turkish F-16 jets carrying out reconnaissance flights on the Syrian border were harassed and put on radar lock by unidentified MIG-29 planes in recent days.
“Nato is able and ready to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threat,” he said.
He denounced Russia’s violations of Turkish airspace and said support for Turkey will be on the agenda.
“We will assess what we have to do to adapt North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to current and future challenges”, he said_including cyberattacks and the mix of conventional and unconventional tactics commonly known as hybrid warfare.
As Defense Secretary Ash Carter traveled to Brussels for Thursday’s session, he “ruled out cooperation with Russian Federation in Syria”, Teri Schultz reports for NPR’s Newscast, with Carter saying Moscow is following the “wrong strategy”.
Differences aside, Washington is seeking Russia’s inclusion in a coalition of more than 60 nations committed to fighting the militants. Losing Turkey would be a serious loss for Russian Federation.
“We are facing many challenges from many different directions”, Mr Stoltenberg said.
On Wednesday, Moscow upped the ante dramatically with the launch of an unprecedented series of cruise missile attacks to cover a Syrian army ground offensive against rebels seeking the ouster of long-term Russian ally President Bashar al-Assad.
The Ghab Plain abuts a mountain range that forms the heartland of Assad’s Alawite sect. The Islamic State group has strongholds in Raqqa and Aleppo, while the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front has a strong presence in Idlib.
The meeting comes a day after Syrian troops and militia backed by Russian warplanes mounted what appeared to be their first major coordinated assault on Syrian insurgents on Wednesday and Moscow said its warships fired a barrage of missiles at them from the Caspian Sea, a sign of its new military reach.
“We’ve seen increasingly unprofessional behaviour from Russian forces”.
The latest poll, carried out over last weekend, suggests a few ambivalence remains about getting involved in Syria.
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Russia’s entry into the conflict in Syria has drawn support from Iraq, with citizens welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions as USA efforts to stop the terrorist group the Islamic State militant group have not lived up to expectations, AFP reported Thursday.
