Purchase of S-400 From Russia 'Might Signal Turkey's Estrangement From NATO'

The possible purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system was among the issues topping the agenda of talks between Presidents Putin and Erdogan in Sochi on Wednesday. Turkish journalist and expert on Russia Cenk Başlamış suggested that a delivery such as this one would signal the start of Turkey's estrangement from NATO.

The Kremlin is ready to constructively discuss with Ankara those strategic issues which bring no damage to Russian interests, political scientist Gevorg Mirzayan, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Sciences of Finance University under the Government of the Russian Federation wrote for Sputnik after the talks between the two Presidents came to a close.

He named the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, where Russia is ready to invest $22 billion or the suggested deliveries of Russia's advanced S-400 missile defense systems as the most promising avenues.

"If Ankara is ready to pay for this project [S-400], Moscow is ready to help its Turkish partners to demonstrate their independence from the American military and industrial complex," Mirzayan said.

Turkish journalist and expert on Russia and Russian-Turkish relations Cenk Başlamış meanwhile suggested that the move will affect not only Turkey's relationship with the US but with the North-Atlantic Alliance.

"Probably, from Turkey's point of view, the issue of S-400 deliveries is even more important than the Syrian issue," he told Sputnik Turkiye.

"If Turkey starts purchasing the missile defense systems from Russia, it will signal a very important change in its foreign policy. It might signal the start of Ankara's estrangement from NATO. In other words, it is the so-called "shift of axis", which has been so much talked about after July 15 (the date of the failed coup attempt in Turkey)," he said.