NATO expressed solidarity with its member Turkey on Tuesday over recent terror attacks in the country as Alliance ambassadors gathered for a meeting to discuss the Turkish military campaign against the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels.

"Terrorism can never be tolerated or justified; we stand in strong solidarity with our ally," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an opening statement.

"It is right and timely that we hold this meeting today, to address the instability on Turkey's doorstep, and on NATO's border," he said before ambassadors from the 28 member states went into a closed session in Brussels.

The emergency meeting was called at Turkey’s request to discuss threats to the country’s security posed by Islamic State militants following last week’s deadly bombing in the town of Suruc which Ankara blamed on the jihadist group.

The meeting will be held under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which invokes consultations but does not automatically trigger military action on the part of other members of the Alliance. The article allows the member states to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened".

Stoltenberg said on Monday that Turkey has not asked the Alliance for “substantial military support” in its fight against the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants. In its request Turkey has not invoked Article 5 of the treaty which requires allies to consider military action.

The meeting comes after Turkey agreed to grant the US access to air bases in Turkey to crack down on IS fighters in Syria.