Turkey declares plan to host US radar

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal says Turkey plans to host a radar system developed by the United States for NATO.

Turkey’s decision to host the early-warning radar system will boost NATO’s “defense capacity and strengthen [Turkey’s] national defense system,” Turkey’s Anadolu news agency quoted Unal as saying early on Friday.

The official also noted that the plan is in line with NATO’s “New Strategic Concept” adopted by leaders of the military alliance in a summit in Lisbon last year.

Turkey will host the so-called X-band radar at one of its military bases, the location of which has not been disclosed yet, reports indicate.

According to reports, the radar system, an AN/TPY-2 type, is expected to be deployed in the country before the end of this year.

Turkey had earlier voiced concern that data collected at the radar site could be shared real time with Zionist Occupation Israel, reports say.

Earlier this year, two ranking US senators — Republican Jon Kyl and Mark Kirk — had warned against a possible agreement to base the missile system radar in Turkey, citing Ankara’s strained ties with Zionist Occupation Israel.