MANAMA (Sputnik) – Bahrain and Russia are in talks on supplies of Russia’s S-400 air defense systems, Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the commander of Bahrain's Royal Guard, said Monday.
"We are currently in the stage of negotiations, but with god’s help we will finish this process," he told reporters at the BIDEC expo.
"Bahrain and Russia have established broad cooperation in the military sector. Meetings are being held, negotiations are taking place, relations have also been established between the leadership of two countries. We would like to strengthen our relations and increase the amount of Russian weapons in Bahrain’s defense forces."
Meanwhile, Vladimir Kozhin, Russia's presidential aide tasked with military technical cooperation, said that the S-400 deal with the Saudis would take place "In the very near future," adding that "now there are negotiations, coordination."
Another regional state, Turkey has already made the first payment for the air defense systems. On September 12, Moscow and Ankara reached an agreement on the delivery of S-400 systems to Turkey.
The S-400 Triumph is Russia's next-generation mobile surface-to-air missile system carrying three different types of missiles capable of destroying aerial targets at a short-to-extremely-long range. It integrates a multifunctional radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and a command and control center.
