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Turkey makes no formal request for NATO missile deployment: FM

09 November 2012 21:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday said his country had so far made no formal request for NATO for the deployment of Patriot missile batteries in Turkey along the border with Syria, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Davutoglu made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Kamel Amr in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

He said "When necessary, steps can be taken within the alliance solidarity for the security of a member country or NATO territory. But at this stage, there is no formal demand that we passed on but talks are underway as part of contingency planning."

Davutoglu said such contingency planning had been underway for months, recalling that NATO had expressed strong solidarity with Turkey after five Turkish nationals were killed when stray artillery shells from Syria landed in Turkey’s Akcakale town last month.

In the past, Turkey has requested the deployment of Patriot missile defense systems on its territory twice in the context of battles in Iraq, respectively in the early 1990s and the 2000s.

On the intense clashes between the Syrian government forces and rebels in Syria’s Ras Al Ain town bordering Turkey, Davutoglu said Turkish security and intelligence authorities closely monitored the situation and took necessary measures.

"We are monitoring all developments meticulously and we made necessary warning to the Syrian side when we feel the need. We hope these clashes end at once," he added.