NATO plans to deploy AWACS surveillance planes to Turkey as part of a defense measure recently agreed to by the alliance, German officials told the Associated Press.
The deployment is meant to reassure Turkey and is a "purely defensive measure," German Defense Ministry spokesman Boris Nannt said. The planes will be deployed to the city of Konya, located in south-central Turkey, but no details were given as to how many planes would be deployed, or when.
This measure comes in a time of escalated tensions, following an incident in which a Russian plane was shot down by Turkish forces. NATO allies agreed to a reassurance package for Turkey, a NATO member, aimed at stabilizing the volatile situation. The package also includes increased naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
