Turkey affirms intent to deploy NATO early-warning radar system

[bemildred]

An early warning radar will be stationed in Turkey's southeast as part of NATO's missile defense system, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The system is aimed at countering ballistic missile threats from Turkey's neighbor Iran, which last week warned Turkey that deployment of the radar at the military installation would escalate regional tensions. Turkey insists the shield is not targeting a particular country and the ministry statement made no mention of Iran.

Turkey agreed to host the radar in September in the framework of the NATO missile defense architecture, saying it would strengthen both its own and NATO's defense capacities.

"In this context, the site surveys and relevant legal arrangements have also been finalized, and accordingly a military installation in Kurecik has been designated as the radar site," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Selcuk Unal said. "That installation was used in the past for similar purposes."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/turkey-affirms-intent-to-deploy-nato-early-warning-radar-system-1.384456