UK assures Turkey of NATO support

One of Turkey's most prominent allies, the United Kingdom, has underlined NATO should play a key role in providing further measures of assurance to Turkey in the face of regional challenges, especially in regard to the deepening Syrian crisis.  

"NATO Secretary-General [Jens] Stoltenberg recently emphasized NATO's solidarity with Turkey and we endorse that position. NATO is the cornerstone of European defense. The alliance must play a key role in leading further assurance measures for Turkey, and in deterring further unhelpful behavior from Russia toward Turkey and the south," U.K. Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon told daily Hürriyet in an interview on Nov. 12 before meetings in Ankara.  
 
"Although we cannot preempt a NATO decision, allies are currently considering how best to provide support and reassurance, building on the measures already in place. The U.K. is firmly committed to supporting Turkey and we stand ready to consider any NATO request," he added. 
 
Fallon will hold talks with Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül along with other senior Turkish officials about the ongoing Syrian unrest, as well as bilateral defense issues. Here is the full text of the interview: 
  
The Syrian unrest will soon turn in its fifth year with no hopes for a quick settlement that would reinstate peace and stability in the entire region. In addition, it produced a global terrorism problem under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). What is your projection for both the future of Syria and of the fight against ISIL? Do you think the international community will be able to defeat this growing extremist terrorism while keeping Syria united?
 
Both in its scale and its duration, the Syrian conflict has become one of the greatest...