MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : ANADOLU RUSSIA

Turkey Won’t Step Back from Purchasing S-400: Erdogan

BasNews 19/05/2019 – 12:52 ERBIL – Turkey has made it clear that it will not take any steps back from purchasing Russia’s S-400 defense missile system, revealing that Ankara would even jointly produce the S-500 with Moscow.

Turkey’s close ally, the US, has repeatedly warned Ankara of buying the S-400, threatening to remove the country from the F-35 program if it doesn’t change its mind on the purchase, while the former has so far stayed determined to go for the move.

“There is absolutely no question of [Turkey] taking a step back from the S-400 purchase. That is a done deal,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, as cited by AlJazeera.

“There will be joint production of the S-500 after the S-400,” he added.

According to the deal, Russia is expected to deliver the defense system to Turkey in the upcoming July.