View from Moscow: Ankara`s decision to acquire Russian S-400s is proof of Turkey`s drift from NATO

ArmInfo. Ankara's decision to acquire the latest Russian S-400 air defense systems is proof of Turkey's slow drift from NATO. Anatoly Tsyganok, director of the Military Forecasting Center of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis (Moscow), expressed this opinion to ArmInfo.

The agreement on the supply of S-400 complexes Moscow and Ankara was signed in mid-September. The contract was criticized by NATO, the allies characterized Turkey's decision as capable of preventing it from becoming part of the Alliance's unified air defense system. Ankara justified an appeal to Moscow for the impossibility of obtaining similar air defense systems from NATO countries. "One of the reasons for this drift is the unfulfilled long-standing promises of Brussels Ankara regarding Turkey's membership in the EU in the event of fulfilling a number of conditions that have been growing more and more every year." The EU also failed to fully fulfill its pledges to finance Turkey for its participation in resolving the problems of migrants from the countries of the Middle East.It is clear that in a similar situation Turkey's special desire to join the European Union no longer burns, "he said. At the same time, the expert characterizes last year's export of stored nuclear weapons in the Injirlik military base, located in Turkey at the American air base, as evidence of US distrust of Ankara with which Washington cooperates not so willingly as before. According to Tsyganka's forecasts, the problems existing in NATO-Turkey relations will only deepen with time. According to the general director of Rostek, Sergei Chemezov, Turkey has already purchased four S-400 divisions from Russia for $ 2.5 billion.

The Russian and Turkish Ministries of Finance concluded negotiations on granting Moscow an Ankara loan for the purchase of the S-400, it remains only to approve the final documents. 45% of the total amount of the contract Turkey pays as an advance, 55% is credit assets of RF. First shipments are planned for March 2020.