Turkey is pretty much the West's best friend in that part of the world. Turkey is a democracy politically, a secular state morally and a NATO ally militarily. Turkey has been accused of some human rights abuses, but then again so have US authorities, and while the US is by no means perfect it's still a darned high standard for human rights. Most Turks are Muslims, but the modernizing revolution of Kemal Ataturk (from which we get the term "Young Turks," by the way) brought about a pretty strong separation of mosque from state. (Keep in mind that Islam - as an agenda for government - has generally been a traditional or reactionary force.) Turkish airbases were vital to Operation Desert Storm's northern part (which included some Israeli aircraft, by the way), and are important now for enforcing the northern no-fly zone in Iraq. And, Turkey is now openly cooperating militarily with Israel - basically to keep Syria (which lies between them) in check.
Background note: Turkey and Greece have one of the world's longest-running enmities (they embody, after all, two of the world's longest-running civilizations), and it's been no small job for the West in general and the US in particular keeping them maintaining some semblance of cooperation in NATO and elsewhere. In particular, Cyprus is a very hot spot. A northeast Mediterranean island, colonized by the United Kingdom and then set free, Cyprus was mainly Greek with a strong Turkish minority. To make a very long story short, they didn't always get along. In 1974 (this July 20 will mark the silver anniversary), Turkey invaded the northern edge (the Turkish part) of Cyprus. Despite repeated peace talks, including much UN activity, Turkey continues to occupy that part of Cyprus and Greece continues to demand that Turkey withdraw. The world recognizes only Greek Cyprus, not Turkish Cyprus.
So, when Russia offered to give Cyprus a set of S-300 Zenith anti-aircraft missiles - under Greek operational control - Turkey went ballistic, figuratively and literally. Turkey threatened pre-emptive military action, on the grounds that the missiles were a threat to its borders. So, the missiles are being installed instead on the unquestionably Greek, if equidistant from Turkey, island of Crete.
