Turkey expects the second batch of Russian S-400 missile system equipment to be delivered in 2020, the Hürriyet Daily News reported, citing a senior Turkish official.
“The delivery of a second batch of [S-400] equipment is expected to begin at the end of the year,” Turkey’s defense industry undersecretary İsmail Demir said on Wednesday.
Demir also claimed that control over the system will “absolutely” be exercised by Turkey. The procedures to ensure Turkey’s full control will be carried out in the first months of 2020, he added.
The Russian S-400 anti-air missile system does not pose a problem for NATO, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday.
“We have no problem with NATO. As is clear from the NATO secretary general’s statements, the S-400 does not pose a problem for NATO,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told foreign reporters at the 52nd meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Thailand.
Since 2017 Turkey and the United States have been at odds over Turkey’s decision to buy the S-400, a Russian-made missile defense system.