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Erdogan Slams NATO's Negative Reaction to S-400 Deal With Russia

ANKARA (Sputnik) - President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused NATO of having double standards following the alliance's reaction to Ankara buying an anti-aircraft S-400 missile system from Russia.
Sputnik

“Let those who criticize us for purchasing the S-400 to fight terrorism look at themselves. Why are they silent about the S-300 which Greece has? And they tell us that this is a wrong step. What kind of alliance, what kind of solidarity is this? This would fly, but not with us,” Erdogan said in parliament.

In December, Russia and Turkey signed a loan agreement on the purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems. According to the deal, Russia will supply Turkey with four batteries of S-400s. The initial delivery of the batteries to Ankara is planned for the first quarter of 2020, and the systems will be operated by the Turkish Armed Forces independently of Russia.

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The deal has become a major concern for NATO. Earlier this month, NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller said that the S-400 does not integrate with NATO members' systems, while NATO's Military Committee Chairman Petr Pavel warned that although the nations had sovereignty in decision-making, they are also "sovereign in facing the consequences of that decision."

READ MORE: US Threatens Turkey With Sanctions in Case of Russian S-400 Purchase – Reports

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Turkey opposed the use of threats in relation to the deal.

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