(Reuters) - NATO says the system is intended to defend the alliance, at odds with Iran over its suspicions Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, against possible missile attack by "rogue states." Russia as threats. The minister has conveyed our opinion on the subject." On Friday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said:"We do not perceive any threat from any neighbor countries and we do not think our neighbors form a threat to NATO." Turkey's Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul has said Ankara was also seeking an agreement on technical issues, including how the NATO-wide shield system would affect Turkey's missile system and if it would cover the entire country. Turkey observers say the shield system illustrates Ankara's increasingly difficult balancing act in keeping good ties with long-time Western allies and its new friends. A long-time NATO member that aspires to join the European Union, Turkey has boosted ties with Iran and other Muslim countries since Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party took office, raising fears in some circles of a "change of axis" to become less West-facing. Turkey irritated the United States when it announced that along with Brazil it had struck a deal with Iran to ease a standoff over accusations it is developing nuclear weapons -- something Tehran denies. Turkey later voted against United Nations sanctions against the Islamic Republic. "If this NATO project gets widespread support in NATO, Turkey could easily end up having to choose between the alliance and Iran," Semih Idiz, a foreign policy expert who writes for liberal daily Milliyet wrote last week. A NATO official in Brussels told Reuters the shield was not deployed against any specific country. "We are in a situation where more than 30 countries are building ballistic missiles and in 10 years or 12 years we will be in a different global or international situation," the official said.(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Brussels; Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia)