Turkey said Tuesday that a Patriot air defense system is being prepared for operational readiness in the country’s east as part of efforts coordinated with NATO to help protect the airspace amid ongoing regional tensions, the Anadolu news agency reported.
“In light of recent developments in our region, necessary measures are being taken to secure our borders and airspace, and we are in consultations with NATO and our Allies,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Patriot air defense system is being deployed to Malatya province, the location of the Kurecik NATO radar base, which provides vital data for the alliance and helped identify two Iranian ballistic missiles heading toward Turkey over the last week.
Iran has said it is not at war with regional countries and denies explicitly targeting its neighbour Turkey. Ankara has warned Tehran against firing any more missiles towards it and the two countries’ presidents discussed the issue on Monday.
“Our country, which maintains its defence and security capacity at the highest level, will continue to assess developments in cooperation and consultation with NATO and our Allies, and strive for regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.
