Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Russia agreed not to disclose details of the joint production of S-400 anti-missile systems due to the "sensitivity" of the issue.
Erdogan made the comments at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the capital Ankara, Duvar notes.
"As for the details related to the production of S-400 components, both sides, Turkey and Russia, have agreed not to make any statements. Therefore, we do not make any comments," the Turkish leader said, answering a reporter's question about which components of the S-400 will be produced in Turkey.
The publication notes that on November 15, the Russian state exporter Rosoboronexport announced cooperation with Turkey in the field of technology transfer and local production of S-400 missile systems.
"We have started cooperation with Turkey regarding the transfer of S-400 technologies. We are localizing some components and their production. We have started working on this issue," said Alexander Mikheev, CEO of Rosoboronexport, speaking during the Dubai Airshow 2021. The Russian official did not say which specific components of the S-400 will be produced in Turkey.
The Turkish leader has previously stated that Turkey is considering buying a second batch of the Russian missile system, despite the strong objections of the US NATO ally.
"In the future, no one will be able to interfere in the question of which defense systems we are acquiring, in which country and at what level," Erdogan said in an interview in September. Negotiations are continuing between Russia and Turkey on the delivery of the second batch, which, as Washington has repeatedly stated, will almost certainly entail new sanctions, MK-Turkey says.
