Turkey is set to buy the S-400 missile defense system from Russia as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Ankara on Monday, announced that the deal would be finalized “this week.”

The S-400 deal between Russia and Turkey has reached close to its success after a more than year of negotiations.

“Our colleagues will come together this week to conclude the work,” Erdogan said.

The news of negotiation between Russia and Turkey had raised speculation in the West as Turkey is a core partner of the Western military alliance NATO. However, the Turkish government seemed determined to buy the missile system from NATO’s main rival due to Turkey’s fear of the West’s duel role in the Syrian war, indifference to last year’s failed coup attempt and its antagonist approach to the country.

The S-400 is a modern-day long range missile system that is capable of carrying three types of missiles which can destroy targets including ballistic and cruise missiles. The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).

The two presidents also discussed bilateral trade relations and both expressed the hope and desire to keep the relations going.

Erdogan said, “Our bilateral trade volume with Russia increased 30 percent as of the first 10 months of 2017. We have a harmonious working environment at the political level.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin told that obstacles to trade and economic ties had been removed. “Within the first eight months of this year Turkish agricultural exports to Russia increased by 1.8 percent,” he said.

Relations between the two countries had entered a crisis after Turkey shot down a Russian jet over the Turkish-Syrian border in late 2015. Russia immediately imposed sanctions on Turkey, which mainly targeted the tourism sector, as Russian tourists form a major number of tourists in Turkey — about three million per year.

Russian withdrawal from Syria

Putin on Monday made a surprising visit to war-torn Syria, ordering his troops to prepare withdrawing from the country as Syria, according to the president, had been cleared of the terrorists. The commander of the Russian forces in Syria, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, said that Russia will withdraw its 23 combat aircrafts, two helicopters, special force units, military police, and area security personnel from Syria.

Russia intervened in the Syrian war militarily in September 2015 after receiving an official request from the Assad regime. Putin met with Bashar al-Assad at Khmeimim Air Base, southeast of Latakia, on Monday.

However, the questions still remain unanswered as to whether Russian advisors will remain in Syria, what kind of weaponry they are going to leave behind and how they are going to support the Assad regime from now on.

Media reports since 2015 have suggested that Russia was sending all its high-tech and advanced weaponry including T-90 tanks (first post-Soviet tank) and Sukhoi jets to usher the Syrian government – that along with its rivals have killed more than 350,000 Syrians. The battle tank, which the US media had reported reached Syria’s Latakia air base in 2015, is equipped with a 125mm tank gun and an anti-aircraft machine gun. The weaponry that remains in Syria is going to be a concern for neighboring countries, most importantly Turkey.

Amid the warming relations between Turkey and Russia that have high stakes connected to the stabilization in Syria, Turkey has high hopes to acquire Russian assent for the operation in the Afrin province of Syria. Afrin is the hub of YPG/PKK terror groups and Turkey is bent on preventing them just like Daesh.

Criticizing US move on Jerusalem

Amid the rising fury throughout the Muslim world, Erdogan and Putin also spoke against US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Russian president stated that the status of Jerusalem should be settled through direct talks between Palestinians and Israel.

While speaking at the press conference he said, “Both Russia and Turkey think the decision of the US to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not helping the situation in the Middle East. It is destabilizing the region and wiping out the prospect of peace.”

US reacts to Russian announcement

Meanwhile, the US has dismissed the Russian claim and at the same time feigned indifference at the Russian announcement of troop withdrawal from Syria. A Pentagon statement on Monday claimed that Russian statements on the withdrawal of its forces from Syria “do not typically correspond” with the situation on the ground.

In a press statement Pentagon spokesperson Military Col. Rob Manning said, “Russia’s comments do not impact US priorities in Syria.”

*Written by Waseem Ahad 

On Wednesday, Turkey’s National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli told parliament’s Planning and Budget Committee that “the first delivery of the S-400 air-defense systems is planned to be accomplished in 2019.”

“The control of the S-400 will be entirely in Turkey’s hands, the friend-enemy recognition system will be changed, software changes have already started and Turkey is actively participating on that, but all discussions on where to deploy the system will be decided by Turkey. This is the biggest difference from the NATO systems,” Canikli said.

Deals have been signed between Turkey and Russia for two S-400 air-defense systems, one of them being optional.

The S-400 can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles

It can also track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles)

The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system so far.

Referring to the agreement signed with fellow NATO members France and Italy, Canikli said: “On the other hand, we have started developing a similar system with EUROSAM.”

Turkey’s own defense missile system

Turkey’s defense industry and the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium will work together to determine needs and priorities for potential joint production of a SAMP-T anti-ballistic missile system.

The Minister also added that negotiations with the US on the purchase of the US-made Patriot air defense system are still continuing.

Canikli also pointed out that Turkey is currently panning its own production of defense missile system – “Turkey has also started a new platform, a new line which it will develop with its own potential.”

Turkey’s fight with the PKK

“Turkey will use its right of intervention based on international law” Canikli said referring to Turkey’s trans-boundary fight with PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist organizations.

The PYD and its military wing YPG are Syrian branches of the PKK, which has waged a war against Turkey for more than 30 years.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed, including more than 1,200 since July 2015 alone since the PKK launched its terror campaign in Turkey in 1984.

Although the US, EU and Turkey list PKK as a terrorist group the US and the coalition have largely ignored PYD/PYG links to PKK.

Revisions in the military

Canikli also announced that 8,570 personnel have been dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces since last year’s defeated coup attempt for being linked with the terrorist organization FETO.

The dismissed military personnel include 150 generals, 4,630 army officers, 2,168 sergeants, 1,211 specialized sergeants and 411 civil servants.

The defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016 was organized by FETO and its US-based criminal cult leader Fetullah Gulen and left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the government through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

*Written by Suna Nur Sarihan. 

According to Russia’s official TASS news agency, Russia’s state-run defense company Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov stated that “The cost of the S-400 deal with Turkey is worth more than $2 billion.”

Turkey recently agreed to purchase the S-400 system from Moscow. The S-400 system is Russia’s most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system, which is capable of carrying three types of missiles. These missiles are capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

The defense system can track and engage up to 300 targets at the same time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).

Previously to comments made by Chemezov, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin confirmed that Moscow had received an “advance payment” from Turkey for the defense system.

Meanwhile, in Turkey the executive committee of Turkey’s Defense Industry Undersecretariat convened on Thursday in order to discuss the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces and possible improvements in the defense industry infrastructure.

The committee will also address in detail the deal for the purchase of the S-400 missile system.

Chaired by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the meeting also included National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and Defense Industry Undersecretary Ismail Demir also attended.

First announcements regarding the decisions made in the meeting on Thursday came from PM Yildirim, when speaking to reporters in Erzincan, western Turkey.

The Prime Minister told reporters on Friday that “We agreed on 22 projects, worth $5 billion, during yesterday’s Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting.”

Yildirim said that the projects included air defense systems, tank modernization, electronic protection systems and sea vessels. He also confirmed that the requirements of the Interior Ministry and Turkey’s gendarmerie would also be met.