Top NATO commander visits Turkey after talks in Israel

James Stavridis, commander of the United States European Command (USEUCOM) and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), came to Ankara for a “routine visit,” Foreign Ministry officials said. He is due to have talks with Turkish officials on Tuesday, but there was no information regarding who he was schedule to meet with. - Turkish media speculated that Stavridis is expected to discuss the planned deployment of US radar on Turkish soil as part of a NATO-backed missile defense program designed to protect European allies of NATO against missile threats. A row between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over gas and oil exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and the future status of a NATO base in the western Turkish province of İzmir are also expected to be discussed in Stavridis' talks in Ankara.