North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Bulgarian Air Force Commander Brig Gen Rumen Radev on Wednesday called for the urgent acquisition of new multirole aircraft.

Brig Gen Radev also warned in an interview with public broadcaster BNT on Monday evening that the government's move to have MiG-29 fighters' engines overhauled in Poland was only a temporary solution to the Air Force's problems.

Turkey appealed to its NATO allies on Oct. 8 to shore up missile defences in the country aimed at shooting down Syrian rockets, as Germany said again that it will withdraw its Patriot batteries and the United States was set to do the same. 

NATO is now waiting for other nations to plug those gaps. 

Russia wants to keep good ties with Turkey, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 8, after Ankara voiced its growing anger at Moscow's military intervention in Syria. 

The defence ministers of the NATO member countries are meeting in Brussels on Thursday over the situation in Syria and Afghanistan.

In a doorstep statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the many challenges the Alliance is facing at present - conflict, instability, insecurity and a refugee crisis.

NATO has said it was prepared to send troops to Turkey to defend its ally after violations of Turkish airspace by Russian jets bombing Syria and Britain scolded Moscow for escalating a civil war that has already killed 250,000 people. 

Despite an apparent divide between the two NATO allies on the role of Kurdish militias fighting jihadists in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an sounded confident that Washington would side with Ankara over any wrongdoing by Russia - including any possible controversy over Kurdish fighters in Turkey?s neighbor.

Despite an apparent divide between the two NATO allies on the role of Kurdish militias fighting jihadists in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an sounded confident that Washington would side with Ankara over any wrongdoing by Russia - including any possible controversy over Kurdish fighters in Turkey?s neighbor.

Turkey may be directing defiant remarks at Russia for its military operations in Syria and its violation of Turkish airspace, but there is little that Ankara can do on its own in this regard. This is not only due to the superpower status of its northern neighbor, although it is clear that this aspect cannot be overlooked.

Medical charity MSF Oct. 7 demanded an international probe into a deadly US air strike on an Afghan hospital, after reports said NATO's top regional commander thought American forces broke their own rules of engagement.
 

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said on Oct. 7 he does not want the conflict in Syria turning into a crisis between Russia and NATO nor into a Russian-Turkish dispute.