MOSCOW Alexander Mosesov – On Sunday, governments of the United States and Turkey issued a joint statement, according to which the US deployment of Patriot units in Turkey expiring in October will not be renewed.
"The US Patriot batteries currently in Turkey are being redeployed to the United States for immediate modernization upgrades… For security reasons, we don't discuss the locations of US Patriot batteries," Seal stated.
The spokeswoman added that the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey as part of NATO’s Operation Active Fence was "a unique exception."
After the downing of a Turkish plane by Syrian forces in June 2012, and the killing of five Turkish civilians by Syrian shelling later the same year, Turkey requested NATO military aid.
The US Patriot missiles have been present in Turkey as part of the NATO mission since 2013.
