MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - Moscow has no reason to doubt NATO's assurances that Patriot air defense missile systems delivered to Turkey will not be used in any military operation in Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov told journalists on Friday.
"The NATO leadership assured us that the deployment of Patriot systems does not mean any preparations for military action in Syria, and these Patriot systems will not be used to create so-called no-fly zones. Rather, they are intended to cover Turkey's territory and nothing more," he said.
"There is no reason for us to call into question these assurances," the diplomat said.
"The problem is that a military buildup in such an explosive region will never add to security there, but, on the contrary, will create additional elements of tension," Meshkov said.