A delegation of Turkish and NATO officials began a site survey in the eastern Anatolian province of Malatya for the deployment of Patriot air and missile defense systems, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
The joint Turkish-NATO team will decide where to station the missiles, how many will be needed and the number of foreign troops that will be sent to operate them.
Turkey’s request to NATO for Patriot missiles has created confusion among politicians and experts, after the country received the "green light" from NATO to deploy the surface-to-air missiles along its border with Syria.
With a deployment possible within weeks, NATO is taking its boldest step so far in the Syria crisis, and the 20-month-long conflict could reach a new level, Deutsche Welle says.
The Turkish government's move to request Patriots has been criticized by the Turkish opposition, which is blaming Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government for major failures in foreign policy which they say have led to an escalation of tensions in the region.
