Will Turkey Transfer S-400 to Azerbaijan?

Baku / 04.20.19 / Turan: Turkey expressed understanding regarding the concerns of its NATO allies about the purchase of the Russian air defense system S-400. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a meeting with journalists on this issue, Reuters reported.

Russian air defense systems should arrive in Turkey during the summer. In this regard, the United States demanded that the Turkish authorities make a choice between the Russian air defense systems and US F-35 fighters. One hundred fighters were supposed to enter Turkey, but the US fears that Russian anti-missile systems will be able to intercept data on military technologies used by NATO aircraft. Cavusoglu said that such assumptions are not supported by anything, reports Radio Liberty.

Turkish authorities do not want to fall under US sanctions, which could adversely affect the Turkish economy. To settle relations with Washington, the Turkish Defense Minister, the Minister of Finance, and also the representative of President Recep Erdogan visited the United States this week.

The AFP agency noted that the probability of Turkey"s refusal to activate the acquired Russian missiles is growing. In this case, the transfer of these missiles to a third country is possible, the agency notes.

So, the situation with the S-400 for Turkey can take a completely unexpected turn. Recently, Turkish media reported on the possibility of a "temporary" deployment of the S-400 in Azerbaijan and Qatar. This was due to the desire of the Turkish military to get training on the S-300 systems available in Azerbaijan.

In the event of the refusal of Turkey from the S-400, Azerbaijan and Qatar can become the very third countries to which the already paid air defense systems can be transferred by Ankara.

For Baku, these systems are important for eliminating the threat of Iskander medium-range ballistic missiles available in Armenia. -02D-