From Today’s Zaman:  Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has stated that the Patriot missile batteries deployed by NATO countries along the Turkish-Syrian border are expected to cost Turkey TL 15 million annually.  

Yılmaz visited the southern provinces of Adana and Kahramanmaraş on Saturday together with his German counterpart, Thomas de Maiziere, and Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert to inspect the batteries provided by these countries at Turkey’s request. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also scheduled to visit the same area as part of her two-day visit to Turkey on Sunday. . . .

Asked to comment on the cost of the NATO Patriots deployed in Turkey, Yılmaz noted that there is an equitable sharing of costs, saying: “Setting up a substructure is our [Turkey’s] responsibility, and the other expenditures pertain to the countries involved. We are expecting to pay TL 15 million annually.”   (graphic: Haber Kibris)

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