Following NATO’s decision earlier this month to send Patriot missiles to Turkey’s border with Syria NATO’s Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen defended the action against criticism from Iran’s armed forces chief. Rasumussen reiterated that the missiles were for purely defenisive purposes and not, as Iran claims, a provocative move.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen:
"I completely denounce these allegations. We have made clear right from the outset that the deployment of Patriots is a purely defensive measure. We are there to defend and protect our allyTurkey. We have no offensive intentions whatsoever and we have made that clear right from the outset,
“The only actors that might be concerned about this purely defensive deployment of Patriot missiles are actors that might have silly ideas to use their missile capabilities for offensive purposes.”
The United States, Germany and the Netherlands will be sending a total of six Patriot missile batteries to the region. They are expected to be operational by the end of January.
