U.S. not pressing Turkey over NATO missile shield, Gates saysOctober 19, 2010 - 18:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States has not pressured Turkey to take part in a NATO missile defense system, but expressed hope Ankara would endorse plans for the anti-missile shield. Gates said U.S. and Turkish officials have discussed the possibility of Turkey actively participating in the proposed missile defense system directed against Iran. "The US has engaged Turkey in political and military dialogue on its potential technical and operational contributions should NATO adopt this approach," Gates said in a speech to the American-Turkish Council in Washington. "Contrary to some press reports, we are not pressuring Turkey to make a contribution," said Gates, according to a text of the speech released by the Pentagon, AFP reported. Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |