ISTANBUL – ANSWER. Information on how Russia as well as Turkey they signed a contract to send the second array to Ankara S-400 anti-aircraft systems This is reported by the TASS agency. Ankara does not confirm the signing of a new contract, but emphasizes that it continues negotiations with Moscow.

The head of the Russian Military-Technical Cooperation Service, Dmitry Shugaev, speaking about the S-400, said: “I want to note that the corresponding contract has already been signed. Among other things, this will allow the production of some components of the system (S-400) in Turkey.”

For its part, a spokesman for the Turkish Defense Industry Administration told Reuters that “there are no new agreements.” According to Turkish media, the initial contract signed with Russia for the purchase of the S-400 already included two installations. “We don’t have specific developments worth mentioning. The transfer of know-how and the production of spare parts that will be produced in Turkey are being discussed,” the Turkish official added.

The first delivery of S-400 to Turkey in July 2019 caused a reaction USAwhich imposed sanctions against the Turkish military and excluded Ankara from the joint production of fighter jets. F-35.

Turkey denies signing a new contract, but continues negotiations on joint production – Developments with the F-16.

The news, broadcast by TASS, caused a shock in the Istanbul stock market: the overall index fell by 2.5%. After statements from Turkish officials, transactions have normalized and the index has returned to normal values.

The leak of information about the S-400 made an impression, since just the day before the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that “in order to speed up the delivery and modernization of the F-16, a technical delegation of the Ministry of National Defense went to the United States for negotiations at the invitation of Washington.” Political analysts in the neighboring country are of the opinion that the Turkish government may not rule out receiving the S-400 and leave this issue as a bargaining chip with the United States.

Meanwhile, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official in his statements to the Anatoly Agency accused Greece of militarizing the islands and stressed that “Turkey cannot allow this”, pointing out that Turkey’s letter to the UN on the militarization of the islands was “the right move.”

Difficult post

Once again, Turkey tried to justify its position in Cyprus and responded to the post of Nikos Dendias about the completion of the 48th anniversary of the second phase of Attila. In particular, the Turkish Foreign Ministry tweeted: “Our intervention was based on the London and Zurich agreements, so it was formal and legal. Thanks to Turkey, peace and stability have been established in Cyprus, and the lives of Greek Cypriots have been saved. Our intervention put an end to the Greek military junta.”