Spain yet to announce military position in Turkey after Syria attacks

The Spanish Embassy in Ankara has released a statement, reiterating that the Spanish government has not yet made a decision on the future of its continued deployment of military equipment in Turkey.

Spain has a long standing position in Turkey to supply Patriot surface to air missile launchers to protect Turkish airspace as part of a NATO agreement issued back in 2014.

For five years, the Spanish military has positioned these launchers at the İncirlik air base in the southern province of Adana.

Every six months their position in the country is re-evaluated and rotated, with any changes coming from a direct order from NATO.

The next rotation is due for December this year, but according to the Embassy, no decision has yet been made whether to maintain their presence in the country or to withdraw its troops and personnel.

Some reports in the Turkish media have suggested that Spain had already finalized the decision-making process on the withdrawal of its contingent in Turkey, but Spanish officials have feverishly denied this.

The Original NATO agreement was specifically designed to protect Turkish air space from Syrian attacks, and the latest rotation comes as Syria is currently being subjected to a Turkish military offensive against Kurdish fighters in the North east region of the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the offensive aims to remove the Kurdish-led forces from the border area and create a “safe zone” so millions of Syrian refugees can be returned.