Turkey has perfected plans to procure Russian-owned missile defense systems in a bid to strengthen national security. Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan who made the disclosure on Tuesday stated that relevant document has been signed by both parties for the acquisition of the S-400 surface-to-air missile defense hardware.
According to him "we are obliged to take safety and security measures in order to defend our country… Nobody has the right to discuss the Turkish republic's independence principles or independent decisions about its defence industry," he added.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin's Adviser for Military Cooperation, Vladimir Kozhin has confirmed the deal. Speaking with Russia's state-owned Tass news agency, Kozhin hinted that all aspects of the deal 'strictly comply with Russia's strategic interests".
"The contract has been signed and is being prepared for implementation. All the aspects of the deal comply with our strategic interests. For this reason, we fully understand the reactions of several Western countries which are trying to put pressure on Turkey," he added.
CNN reports that the deal marks NATO member's first major weapons purchase from Russia. The report said the development could cause anxiety among the 28 member countries since Russian made military equipment may not prove technically compatible with defence systems operated by the alliance.
