NATO to defend Turkey, will not have offensive role

NATO is not going to broaden its role in the Syrian conflict other than providing a platform for debate amongst its members and working to protect Turkey, a NATO spokesman said at a press conference on Friday.

“NATO is a very important forum for consultation between its allies, and now also with its partners. This is important,” said Robert Pszczel, director of the NATO information office in Moscow.

“The second element is what we’re doing in the sense of protection and defense of NATO members which are neighbors of Syria, I mean Turkey,” he noted. “For this, we’ve moved Patriots [air defense missiles] there.”

NATO agreed to deploy Patriot missile batteries along the Turkey-Syria border last December, in response to a formal request by Turkey.

“This deployment is defensive only and represents a concrete demonstration of Alliance solidarity and resolve,” the website statement says.