FILE PHOTO: A NATO flag flies at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels March 2, 2014. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey remains a dependable member of the NATO alliance, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Thursday, after Western allies expressed concern over Ankara’s decision to procure a missile defence system from Russia.

Turkey’s good relations with Russia are not an alternative to its ties to the West, but rather complementary, Ibrahim Kalin told a news conference.