Four Republican Senators have called for considering Georgia as an alternative site for placing NATO missile defense system-related radar, instead of Turkey if the latter conditions deployment of the radar on its soil to a refusal to share information gathered by the system with Israel.

“We believe the Republic of Georgia's geographic location would make it an ideal site for missile defense radar aimed at Iran, and would offer clear advantages for the protection of the United States from a long range missile launched from the nation as compared to Turkey, or other potential locations in southeastern Europe,” a letter by the four Senators to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates reads.

The letter dated February 3 and signed by Senators Jon Kyl, James Risch, Mark Kirk and James Inhofe, was first reported by “The Cable” – a blog of The Foreign Policy magazine.

The letter asks the U.S. Defense Secretary if the Obama Administration was considering Georgia as a potential host of the radar.

“The Republic of Georgia should be a significant partner for future defense cooperation with the U.S., whether as a future member of NATO or in another capacity; it is already one of our nation's most loyal allies in the NATO mission in Afghanistan,” the letter reads.