Turkish President Erdogan Says 'Inevitable for NATO to Renew Itself'

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference in Ankara before flying to London on Tuesday that NATO’s renewal is inevitable.

“NATO renewal is inevitable. Turkey expects the allies to seek ways to expand cooperation, rather than seek alternatives. Turkey also expects them to show solidarity on the issue of [Ankara’s] fight against terrorism," the president said.

"All NATO countries are obliged to support the reform of the alliance, this will allow a more principled and decisive fight against terrorist organisations," he added.

According to Erdogan, Turkey "is an indispensable NATO country."

Erdogan added that if Turkey's NATO allies do not recognise the terrorist organisations that Turkey is fighting against as terrorists, Turkey will oppose its Baltic plans.

Earlier, four senior NATO officials were cited by Reuters as saying that Turkey will refuse to support NATO collective defence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland against an alleged Russian threat unless Ankara itself receives adequate support from the allies in its fight against the Kurdish militia in northern Syria.

The two-day meeting between the NATO heads of state and government will start on Tuesday in the UK capital of London.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly set to secure funding from Germany, France and the United Kingdom to help Ankara carry out its Syrian policy, including the return of Syrian refugees home.