Turkey set to buy Russian missile defence system

Putin's adviser confirms agreement marking the NATO member's first major weapons purchase from Russia.

Turkey is set to buy Russian-owned missile defence systems, marking the NATO member's first major weapons purchase from the country.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, announced on Tuesday that "signatures have been made" for the acquisition of the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence equipment.

Anticipating potential concern among Turkey's fellow NATO members over the deal, Erdogan said Turkey will continue to "make the decisions about our own independence ourselves".

"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 said.

Russia confirmed the agreement, with Vladimir Kozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser for military cooperation, saying: "The contract has been signed and is being prepared for implementation."

Kozhin told Russia's state-owned TASS news agency that all aspects of the deal "strictly 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 said.

The deal is expected to cause anxiety for NATO's other 28 member countries, as the Russian-made equipment may not prove technically compatible with defence systems operated by the alliance.

A Pentagon spokesman criticised the procurement decision, saying it is "generally not a good idea" for members of NATO to buy inter-operable apparatus.

NATO's policy states that: "Interoperability does not necessarily require common military equipment", but instead, "what is important is that the equipment can share common facilities, and is able to interact, connect and communicate, exchange data and services with other equipment".

The Turkish-Russian contract is a new sign of better relations between the two countries since a reconciliation deal was signed last year following the 2015 shooting down by the Turkish military of a Russian fighter jet over the Syrian border.

Turkey was also pleased with Russia's response to the 2016 failed coup in Turkey and the two sides have been working together in search of a solution to the Syria conflic

Comments

Tomato fight! Valencia celebrates annual festival

سوات میں جلسہ ضرور ہوگا-پشتون تحفظ تحریک

— وائس آف امریکہ پشتون تحفظ تحریک اتوار کو سوات میں جلسہ منعقد کرنے جا رہی ہے لیکن تحریک سے وابستہ رہنماؤں کا کہنا ہے کہ انھیں یہاں بھی ایسی ہی مشکل صورتحال کا سامنا ہے جیسا کہ اس سے قبل ملک کے دیگر علاقوں میں تحریک کے جلسوں کے دوران رہا۔ لیکن پی ٹی ایم کے ایک مرکزی رہنما محسن داوڑ نے ہفتہ کو وائس آف امریکہ کو بتایا کہ ان تمام مشکلات کے باوجود اتوار کے جلسے کے لیے وہ پرعزم ہیں اور اس کی تیاریاں تکمیل کے مراحل میں ہیں اور ان کے بقول اس میں لوگوں کی ایک بڑی تعداد کی شرکت متوقع ہے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ سوات بھی ایک ایسا علاقہ ہے جہاں کے لوگ تکلیف سے گزر چکے ہیں اور یہاں سے متعدد بے گناہ لوگ جبری لاپتا ہیں۔ محسن داوڑ نے دعویٰ کیا کہ انتظامیہ نے انھیں جس گراؤنڈ میں جلسے کی اجازت نہیں دی تھی وہیں ہفتہ کو دوسرے لوگ جلسہ کر رہے ہیں جب کہ مبینہ طور پر ایک روز قبل علاقے میں ایسے پمفلٹ بھی تقسیم کیے گئے جن میں لوگوں کو پی ٹی ایم کے جلسے سے گمراہ کرنے کی کوشش کی گئی۔ "انتظامیہ کی طرف سے ظاہر سی بات ہے جس طرح ہم نے پہلے جلسے کیے ہیں اسی طرح یہاں بھی کافی مشکلات کھڑی کرنے کی ...

Putin pushes for patriotism among young people

Kids of the "Youth Army" Russia’s "Youth Army" movement has grown to almost 200,000 members in less than two years, as President Vladimir Putin and his government try to foster patriotism among young people. Known as "Yunarmia" in Russian, the movement offers military training and new experiences to children as young as eight years old. They wear uniforms and pledge allegiance to the "Fatherland", and promise to "strive for victories in studies and sport" as well as honoring the memory of fallen heroes. “We are part of the wider armed forces. We are civilians, but we are standing together with everyone else to protect the country,” said 16-year-old member Darya. And one of the key components of the oath is the vow to be a patriot. “Patriotism is about noticing the faults that exist in your motherland, to fix them and make things better - for your town, for your country and your region,” said 13-year-old member Yaros...

Diplomatic Cross

Search This Blog