NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents the 2015 NATO annual report during a press conference in Brussels, January 28, 2016. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)
by Al Bawaba
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that Russia’s increase in airstrikes is undermining Syria peace talks in Geneva, Reuters reported.
“The intense Russia airstrikes, mainly targeting opposition groups in Syria, is undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict,” Stoltenberg told Reuters upon arriving for a meeting of EU defense ministers in Amsterdam.
Stoltenberg also defended claims that Russia had again violated airspace in Turkey, a NATO member.
“The increased Russia presence, the air activity in Syria, is also causing increased tensions and violations of Turkish airspace … violations of NATO airspace,” he said. “This creates risks.”
Since Monday, the Syrian army and forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad have made advances in a push to encircle and rout out rebels in the eastern part of Aleppo. The assault has been backed by Russian airstrikes and has also cut off a key supply route to the Turkish border.
