NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday discussed the alliance's possible deployment of Patriot missiles near Turkey's border with Syria.

Rasmussen called Lavrov to set out the alliance's position "in interest of transparency," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on her Twitter page, adding the deployment will be "defensive only."

Turkey officially requested on Wednesday for NATO to deploy Patriot missiles due to Ankara's fears of spillover from the conflicts in neighboring Syria. Rasmussen said that NATO would consider the request "without delay."

However, Russia has voiced opposition to the plan and warned Ankara not to increase its military presence on the border.

"Militarization of the Syrian-Turkish border is a worrying signal," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

Lukashevich urged Turkey not to "beef up the muscles" nor lead the situation to a dangerous track.

A NATO official told reporters that a team of NATO experts had set off to Turkey to conduct a site-survey for the possible deployment of Patriot missiles.

NATO is expected to make a final decision on Turkey's request following the report by the experts and consultations with all NATO members. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)