Turkey starts talks with France, Italy over air defence system, NATO chief says

The NATO exercises were taking place in Turkish waters in the Mediterranean Sea off the resort city of Marmaris and involved 1,000 personnel and nine countries including France, Britain and the United States.
Thursday, 21 September 2017 00:14

NATO's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Turkey is looking into the possibility of buying air defence systems from France and Italy in addition to the one it recently purchased from Russia.

Stoltenberg stressed that Erdogan "is very committed to NATO and not only in words but also in deeds."

"Turkey is a key nation when it comes to our security" because of its strategic location on the 29-nation alliance's eastern flank, but also because it borders Iraq and Syria where terrorists operate, he said. "And Turkey is one of the lead nations in our efforts to make sure that Afghanistan doesn't become a safe haven for international terrorists once again" he added. 

TURKEY HOSTS NATO NAVAL EXERCISE

Turkey on Wednesday was preparing to wind up naval exercises with NATO members being held at a time of a crisis in relations with several alliance states and controversy over Ankara's plan to purchase weapons from Russia, AFP reported.

The NATO exercises, focused on submarine rescue operations and called "Dynamic Monarch", were taking place in Turkish waters in the Mediterranean Sea off the resort city of Marmaris and involved 1,000 personnel and nine countries including France, Britain and the United States.

The drill, the first in Turkey since 2000, is aimed at demonstrating multinational submarine rescue cooperation and interoperability. But its hosting by Turkey is also a symbol of Ankara's importance within the alliance during a tense period.