In a conversation with Sputnik, Ataş underscored that the deal between Russia and Ankara came as a result of their longtime bilateral cooperation, especially in security and defense.
The analyst said that the United States and NATO’s concerns over the deal are groundless and Turkey was not the first alliance member to buy a Russian-made missile and air defense system.
"For example, Greece operated Russian missile defense systems. Their criticism is baseless. NATO is expected to help its members if they have security issues. As for Turkey, NATO didn’t give a hand to Turkey. Turkey has long been in need for a missile defense system. Ankara initially considered buying the US-made Patriot and then a Chinese system, but the plan didn’t work out. Finally, Turkey set its eyes on the S-400 as an alternative," Ataş said.
As the S-400 deal may raise questions about Turkey’s future cooperation with its NATO allies, Ataş said that there would be no divorce between Ankara and the military bloc.
"Of course, there will be some tensions in the beginning, but they will soon be settled. Turkey is the NATO’s gateway to Asia. In security terms, Turkey and NATO need each other," he underscored.
"Turkey made the decision to buy the S-400 based on its national security concerns. But this decision is not directed against NATO," the expert summarized.
The S-400 Triumph is a next-generation mobile surface-to-air missile system that can carry three different types of missiles capable of destroying aerial targets at a short-to-extremely-long range. It is designed to track and destroy various types of aerial targets, from reconnaissance aircraft to ballistic missiles.
