Turkey drops block on defense plan for Baltics - NATO chief

WATFORD, England/VILNIUS - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Turkey had dropped its block on a plan to bolster the defenses of Baltic states and Poland against Russia.He told a news conference after an alliance summit outside London that NATO leaders did not discuss the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization."This is a huge achievement not only for our country, but for the whole region, because it ensures security of our citizens," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement.Turkey had previously said it would oppose NATO's plan unless the alliance accepted Turkey's designation of certain groups as terrorists, including the Kurdish YPG militia. Ahead of the summit, Ankara had refused to back the NATO defense plan for the Baltics and Poland until it received more support for its battle with the YPG, including other alliance members recognizing it as a terrorist group.In a final press conference after the summit, Stoltenberg also said that NATO was in favor of dialog and a better relationship with Russia, and believed that China should be part of future arms limitations or reductions talks.