(MENAFN) Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg details his interactions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his memoir, which chronicles significant events and experiences during his decade-long leadership of the alliance.

In On My Watch: Leading NATO in a Time of War, Stoltenberg recalls, "NATO's military authorities confirmed that the plane had been in Turkish airspace, and it was becoming urgent that we go public with a reaction to the incident."

He was discussing the 2015 incident in which Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian Su-24 aircraft near the Turkish-Syrian frontier after it had crossed into Turkish airspace.

Stoltenberg explained that he voiced NATO's support for Ankara, but highlighted that a "deep disagreement" existed within the alliance throughout the crisis.

Countries in Eastern Europe rallied behind Türkiye, urging NATO to back Ankara's decision. Stoltenberg recounted that they "felt the border violation should be followed up with the deployment of additional air defence, more fighter jets and more batteries of Patriot rockets along the Syrian border."

However, not all members were in agreement. Stoltenberg noted, "France and Italy opposed the alliance expressing explicit support for Türkiye," while Germany, although not opposing support for Ankara, advocated for a more cautious approach.

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