Baku, Azerbaijan, May 22
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
France has offered Turkey to deploy SAMP/T air defense systems, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, Trend reports with reference to Resmi Gazete on May 22.
He said that negotiations are being held in this direction between the countries.
Commenting on the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, Akar said that the Turkish military personnel had already been sent to Russia to study the operation of the S-400 systems.
On April 11, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that specialists from the US and NATO could come to Turkey to make sure that Russian S-400 air defense systems do not pose a threat to NATO. "Although the US urges Turkey to abandon the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems, it does not guarantee that it will sell us Patriot air defense systems," Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that Turkey may receive the S-400 missile systems earlier than scheduled. According to the President, it was expected that Turkey would receive the first supplies of S-400 missile systems in July 2019.
He noted that despite appeals from the US, Turkey will not abandon the purchase of the S-400.
Initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the supply of S-400 surfaced in November 2016.
The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on September 12, 2017. Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 air defense systems would be deployed from October 2019.
The supply of the S-400 air defense systems to Ankara cost $2.5 billion, head of the Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov said in December 2017.
Turkey is the first country, a NATO member to receive the S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
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