Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan dismissed on Friday security concerns expressed by Israel over the launch of Turkey’s first spy satellite.
"We are sending our Gokturk satellite to space in 2013. Some people are disturbed by this. They say: ’Turkey will watch us from space in the future’. You have been watching us for many years, decades," Erdogan told youth party members of his ruling AK Party, without mentioning ex-ally Israel.
Erdogan spoke after a senior Israeli defence official told Reuters the launch of Gokturk had prompted discussions in Israel about the viability of a U.S.-backed blackout on high-resolution commercial photography of Israel from space.
According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, Gokturk will provide images of objects of 0.8 metres across. At present 2 metres across is the finest grain available when it comes to pictures of Israel, thanks mainly to U.S. legislation from the 1990s.
-Reuters