"We discussed the possibility of selling S-400 systems. We are ready for this," Putin said in reply to a question from the head of the Anadolu news agency.
As for the joint production of S-400 in Turkey, this is an issue of Turkish industry’s readiness, the Russian leader said.
Mesut Hakki Casin, a professor of International Relations at Istanbul-based Ozyegin University, Faculty of Law, and an international terrorism and security strategy expert commented to Sputnik Turkiye on the issue.
Ankara should do its utmost to implement the joint project because, on the one hand, it will enhance the security of the country, he told Sputnik. On the other hand, it will increase the qualification of the Turkish military personnel and will bring the country's military engineering industry to a qualitatively new level.
Turkey is in deep need of these systems, he explained. On the one hand, they provide Ankara with advanced technologies, and on the other they enhance the effective security of the Turkish territories together with the national air defense systems. Besides, Mesut Hakki Casin said, they will provide a reliable defense against fifth generation military fighter jets.
Russia, he further explained, is, by all means, one of the top world manufacturers of air defense systems. Since the 1990s Turkey has noticeably advanced its military-technical development. Thus the joint cooperation between Russia and Turkey in assembling these advance defense systems is a real prospect for Turkey. Turkish industry is quite ready for such cooperation, the expert said.
It will be a step towards exemplary cooperation between a NATO member state and Russia, Mesut Hakki Casin noted.
The expert also said that he sees no problems with regards to the military-engineering education and any language-related issues. He said that the officers and sergeants of the Turkish Armed Forces undergo training and military service according to NATO standards so they will be quite able to deal with these issues, he finally stated.
