Dubai. November 14th. INTERFAX - Russia is discussing with Turkey the supply of Russian military products and the joint development of weapons, Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, told Interfax.
"Negotiations are continuing on the supply of modern Russian military products, as well as the joint development of weapons," Shugaev said on Sunday at the Dubai Airshow-2021 international Airshow.
So he answered the question about the prospects of military-technical cooperation with Turkey and the possible timing of signing a contract for the supply of a new batch of S-400 air defense systems to Ankara.
"Military-technical cooperation with the Republic of Turkey is steadily developing," Shugaev said.
He said that "many countries in the region are showing interest in the S-400 Triumph system."
The contract for the supply of an additional batch of S-400 to Turkey may be signed this year, Alexander Mikheev, head of Rosoboronexport, said on August 25, answering a question from Interfax.
Turkey bought four divisions of S-400 air defense systems from Russia at a cost of $2.5 billion. On October 23, 2019, Rosoboronexport announced that Russia had fulfilled the contract ahead of schedule by supplying Turkey with all elements of the S-400 systems, including missiles. On December 7, 2020, the head of Rostec State Corporation Sergey Chemezov said that Turkey had paid for the S-400. In mid-October 2020, Turkey carried out successful test launches of S-400 missiles on its territory.
It was officially reported that Russia offered Turkey to buy other weapons, in particular, fourth-generation Su-35 fighters.
In September of this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with CBS that Ankara intends to buy another batch of S-400 from Moscow.
In June 2019, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the contract for the supply of S-400 to Turkey provides for partial technology transfer.
The issue of localization of some production in Turkey under the contract for the supply of S-400 will be discussed during negotiations, Shugaev told Interfax in July 2019.
The United States has repeatedly expressed concern about Turkey's acquisition of the S-400, as it believes that Russia can use these systems to obtain information about fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers. In addition, the Pentagon stated that Turkey should return the S-400 to Russia if Ankara wants to receive Patriot missile systems from Washington.
Washington excluded Ankara from the F-35A production program immediately after Turkey acquired the S-400.
