NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated on Friday again that purchasing a Russian S-400 missile defense system is Turkey's national decision and called on the United States to hold a dialogue with Ankara. Commenting on a question by Daily Sabah during a press conference at a NATO Defense Ministerial Meeting in Brussels, Stoltenberg said he is aware of American threats to impose sanctions on Turkey for purchasing the S-400. Stating that he discussed the issue with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his official visit to Turkey earlier this month, Stoltenberg called on NATO allies to keep communication channels open to overcome disagreements.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchinson said Turkey purchasing the missile defense system from Russia is worrying for her country and added that there would be "serious consequences." "Turkey has been a strong ally for us in NATO, but we are very worried at the point that we have come to. The Russian missile system represents an obstacle to our ability to work together comprehensively as a whole," she said, adding that Washington hopes to see Turkey reevaluating its decision.

Stoltenberg recently drew attention to the already existing NATO presence in Turkey and called on all allies to provide more support to the country. "We provide political support because Turkey is the NATO ally that has suffered the most from terrorist attacks. NATO immediately condemned the coup attempt that targeted Turkey's democratic institutions," the secretary-general said.

After finishing the "productive meeting of the NATO foreign ministers," Stoltenberg said the ministers held a wide-ranging discussion about Russia and the long-term security implications of its foreign and defense policies. "We agreed that our dual-track policy of strong deterrence and defense combined with meaningful dialogue is the right one. For 70 years, NATO has protected Allies. But at the same time, we see more attempts to intimidate and destabilize, including cyber attacks." The NATO chief said they also discussed the situation in Syria. "All allies strongly condemn the repeated use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. And we support the efforts led by the United Nations to achieve a lasting political solution to the conflict in Syria."