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Iran: NATO radar system in Turkey not to benefit region

Iran Materials 19 September 2011 14:39 (UTC +04:00)
Deploying NATO's early-warning radar system in Turkey will not benefit the region, Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.
Iran: NATO radar system in Turkey not to benefit region

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 16 /Trend T.Konyayeva/

Deploying NATO's early-warning radar system in Turkey will not benefit the region, Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, IRNA reported.

"The deployment of the system is not acceptable, as it will not favor the regional countries," Vahidi said.

The presence of foreign forces in the region could damage relations between the nations of the region, he added.

Earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a decision to deploy NATO's radar should be carefully considered.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal announced the country's intention to host the apparatus on Sept. 2. Following Ankara's announcement, Russia criticized the plan and denounced NATO's efforts to advance eastward.

In September 2010, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposed to develop a 200-million-euro (253-million-dollar) US-backed missile system around Europe against possible attacks by "rogue states."

The NATO chief then named Iran's nuclear program as one of the reasons that justify the necessity of a missile system.

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