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The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said the alliance remains ready to take all necessary steps to protect its member states, including Turkey, following recent interceptions of missiles from Iran.
Speaking on Wednesday during a visit to Turkish defence firm Aselsan, Rutte said NATO forces had intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles on several occasions in recent weeks, describing the situation as part of broader regional tensions.
He noted that the alliance had deployed a Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey as part of its defensive response.
According to him, “Iran is spreading terror and chaos, and you feel this prominently here in Turkey.”
“In recent weeks, NATO has successfully intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Turkey from Iran on four separate occasions,” he said.
“NATO is prepared for such threats and will always do what is necessary to defend Turkey and all others. And we cannot do it alone,” he added.
The NATO chief’s visit comes ahead of a July summit of alliance leaders scheduled to take place in Ankara.
He also praised Turkey’s defence industry developments, saying the country had made significant progress.
“We can learn a lot from what Turkey is doing here. This is needed because we live in a more dangerous world… and that means we need strong defences to protect our security.
“Turkey has gone through a defence industrial revolution. I could really say it’s a revolution in recent years”.
Rutte is expected to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit.
