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Erdogan: S-400 deal with Russia among 'most important agreements' in modern Turkish history

14 July 2019 21:50 (UTC +04:00)

The S-400 deal with Russia is one of the most significant contracts in modern Turkish history, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced, APA reports citing Sputnik.

"The most important agreement in our history right now is the S-400 agreement," Erdogan said, speaking to reporters at the presidential palace in Istanbul on Sunday, Turkish outlet Haberler has reported.

"By buying the S-400, Turkey is not preparing for war. Air defence systems are designed to ensure peace and security in our country. Other steps are also being taken in order to improve our defensive capabilities," Erdogan said.

Touching on the F-35 issue and US threats to cancel deliveries of the planes over Ankara's decision to purchase the Russian air defence system, Erdogan said these were separate issues.

"The S-400 is one topic, the F-35 is a completely different one. To date, we have already paid $1.4 billion for the F-35," Erdogan recalled. "If Turkey is removed from the F-35 program, the cost of a single aircraft may rise by $7-8 million…This is not an easy decision [for Washington]," he said.

According to the president, if Turkey is kicked out of the F-35 program, the US "will have to return the money which we already paid."