Turkey officially decided to buy Russia's S-400 missile defense system despite opposition from NATO member countries. This decision has been confirmed Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara's obligations as a member of NATO would not be disturbed despite buying Moscow's cutting-edge anti-missile system. He complained about the difficulty of obtaining such sophisticated defense systems from the US-led alliance countries.
"We are eager to get it from NATO member countries, but failed to get the necessary support from the US," Yildirim said.
"The fact that we have entered into defense cooperation with Russia does not mean our obligations as NATO members are disrupted. Such cooperation with Russia only to eliminate the threat to Turkey in the short term, "said Yildirim during a visit to the US, as quoted Anadolu.
General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, recently warned Turkey about the consequences of a possible purchase of the Russian S-400.
"Sovereignty is clearly in the acquisition of defense equipment, but in the same way as sovereign states make decisions, they are also sovereign in the face of the consequences of the decision," said Pavel, who signaled NATO's opposition to Ankara's decision.
On Sunday, September 12, 2017, Moscow and Ankara reached agreement on a planned purchase of the S-400 anti-missile system to Turkey. On September 29, 2017, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin confirmed that Turkey has made prepayments for the S-400, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019.
Triumph S-400-its NATO name; SA-21 Growler-is Russia's state-of-the-art advanced air-to-air missile system equipped with three types of missiles. This system is capable of destroying targets in the air at short distances to very far.
The head of the Turkish Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Ahmet Berat Conkar, said the purchase of Russia's advanced missile defense system is not intended to send any political messages. However, solely based on technical and financial reasons.
"Turkey chose the S-400 because of other options, because the missile system has more advanced technical features than its competitors, with better rates and shorter delivery times," Conkar told Al Jazeera on Monday (13/11/2017) .
Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli insists that an agreement on the purchase of the S-400 with Russia has already taken place. "S-400 missiles were purchased. Only small details can be handled at this time, "said Canikli.