3 Mar. 2003

NATO supporting Turkey in civil emergency planning Following the deployment of surveillance aircraft and missile defences, NATO is also assisting Turkey in preparing for possible humanitarian emergencies, such as a mass influx of refugees or chemical and biological attacks against civilians. On 3 March, the Alliance’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) received a request from Turkey for items that would be needed by medical teams, civil protection teams and airport personnel to deal with any chemical or biological attacks against the civilian population or a mass population movements towards Turkey. The items requested include protective clothing, decontamination units, mobile kitchens, tents, blankets, medicine, food and hygiene packages. In line with standard operating procedures, the request has been forwarded to the 46 NATO and partner countries that are members of the EADRCC. The EADRCC is coordinating the response and the delivery of these items to Turkey. This assistance follows the deployment of NATO surveillance aircraft and missile defences to Turkey. On 26 February, two NATO radar monitoring and surveillance aircraft (AWACS) were deployed to Konya airbase and began patrols of Turkish airspace. On 6 March NATO took command of three batteries of Patriot ground-based, air defence missile systems, which were sent from the Netherlands. The aim of the NATO deployments is solely to contribute to the defence of one of its members, Turkey, in accordance with the North Atlantic Treaty, the founding charter of the Alliance. Additional information: Background: NATO defensive assistance to Turkey EADRCC: Possible emergency situation in Turkey (includes daily updates)