Turkey's talks with Russia about the purchase of the S-400 air missile defence system have reached a "final stage", although this does not mean a deal will be signed immediately, Defence Minister Fikri Işık said on Friday.
"Work on the S-400 has reached a final point. But the final stage does not mean 'let's sign a deal tomorrow morning," Işık told a news conference.
"The work with Russia on S-400 has come to the final point. NATO must be understanding about it. It is clear that Turkey needs an air defence system. But NATO member states did not provide us with an economically effective offer and have no desire to share technologies with us. We understand that we will not be able to integrate the S-400 into the NATO air defence system, and we do not demand that from the Alliance," Işık told reporters.
He said Turkey would not be able to integrate the S-400 into the NATO system. NATO member Turkey in 2015 cancelled a $3.4 billion tender for a long-range missile defence system that had been provisionally awarded to China.
