Turkey and Russia have reached principal agreements on the issue of the S-400 air defense systems (ADS) acquisition; the sides are conducting negotiations over the price and joint production, Turkey`s Foreign Minister Mevl·t ·avu·o·lu told journalists.
“We are continuing negotiations over the issues related to S-400 including joint production and price. We have reached principal agreements; however, I cannot say anything on the technical point,” the minister said quoted by the Milliyet newspaper.
He added that Turkey would acquire Russia’s air defense systems, as the country needs “to beef up its air defense capabilities”. Speaking on the options to buy air defense assets from the NATO countries, he added that Turkey “had been willing to acquire them from NATO but they [the NATO state members] did not demonstrate a shift in this area”.
Previously, Turkey’s Minister of National Defense Fikri Isic said that “the work on S-400 has reached its final stage, but it does not mean that the contract will be signed tomorrow”.
The negotiations between Turkey and Russia over the acquisition of S-400 became known in November 2016. In March, the head of the Rostec state corporation Sergei Chemezov said that Turkey had revealed its willingness to receive a credit from Russia for arms acquisition including S-400. In February, Chemezov said that Turkey showed its interest in S-400 and the sides were conducting negotiations over potential deliveries.
