MOSCOW, Russia, April 11 (NNN-ITAR TASS) – Russia is interested in expanding its military technical cooperation with Ankara and is ready to consider supplying more S-400 air defence missiles to Turkey, the Kremlin said.
“Russia is open. Russia has appropriate capabilities and technological competencies. Russia is looking for opportunities to expand this cooperation. This is an absolutely normal practice,” Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.
Peskov said, military technical cooperation is a very important part of Russia’s interaction with many foreign countries, as “such cooperation indicates a special level of development of bilateral relations. This also applies to Turkey.”
Peskov made the remarks, while commenting on a statement made earlier on Wednesday, by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, that if Washington refuses to sell Patriot long-range air defence systems to Ankara, it could buy more S-400’s from Russia.
Speaking to Turkish NTV news channel, Cavusoglu said, if the United States implements its threat, to cancel a deal for the F-35 jets, Turkey could buy fighters from another source, until it is able to produce its own.
Washington criticised Turkey for the purchase of the S-400 missiles, and the Pentagon said last week that it had halted deliveries of F-35 fighter jet parts and manuals to Turkey.
Nevertheless, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed to implement their contract to deliver the S-400’s to Turkey.
The S-400 air defence missile system is considered the most advanced of its kind in Russia, capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 km and a height of up to 30 km.– NNN-ITAR TASS
