Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu said that countries, especially Russia, needn’t feel uneasy about Turkey’s Patriot demand from NATO.
Holding a press conference after his meeting with Chairman Ahmed Muaz el-Hatib of National Coalition for the Syrian opposition and the Revolutionary Forces in Ankara on Friday, Davutoglu said that Patriot was a defense system, adding that Turkey had a 910-kilometer border with Syria where fierce clashes had been occurring.
Turkey takes all measures for its own safety within the scope of its own national capacity as well as within the alliance system, he added.
Turkey formally requested Patriot missiles from NATO on Wednesday for deploying on its Syria border for defense purposes.
NATO allies installed the long-range Patriot missiles on Turkish territory twice before, during the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars. They were never used and were quietly withdrawn a few months later.
(For original story http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/103698–no-one-should-feel-uneasy-about-turkeys-patriot-demand)
Reported by Anatolia Agency
