Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Friday that of S-400 defense systems would begin to be installed in October.
In remarks carried by Turkish media, Akar said US officials are telling Turkey that it would be “impossible” to pass the sale of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets through Congress due to Ankara’s procurement of S-400 defense systems from Russia, but Turkey is working to resolve the issue.
Akar also said Turkey was trying to establish an environment where its purchase of S-400 missile systems did not impact its procurement of the F-35 jets.
In this context, he noted that the procurement of a missile defense system “is not a matter of choice but one of necessity for Turkey.”
Talks with the United States on purchasing Raytheon Co. Patriot defense systems are continuing, Akar said.
Meanwhile, the Turkish DM said that Turkish and Russian forces are set to begin patrols in Syria’s Idlib to “maintain safety in the de-escalation zone.”
He noted that Ankara “is not in talks” with the Syrian government but “we speak to Russia and Iran when need be.”
Akar said Turkey expects the Syrian government to respect the truce in Idlib, adding that Russia “should prevent” Damascus from carrying out attacks in Idlib.
On the issue of Kurds, Akar said Turkey is against all terror groups, but stressed it “has no problem with any ethnic group, especially Kurdish brothers.”
On the other hand, the Turkidh DM claimed that Turkey “is the only country that is fighting against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorists on the ground and neutralizing the most radical terrorists.”
Source: Turkish Media
