ERZİNCAN

Turkey’s defense procurement office has issued final decisions on 22 projects related to various military needs, worth up to $5 billion, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Nov. 3.

These decisions include an anti-ballistic missile system, an air defense system, tank modernization, electronic protection systems, and various other requirements of the Interior Ministry and the gendarmerie, Yıldırım told reporters.

“The important thing is this: The rates of domestic [production] in these projects are very high,” he said.

“In deterrence and in the defense industry, Turkey is able to meet its needs with its own capabilities and is also helping other countries in this regard,” Yıldırım added.

He also criticized some “other source countries” for “trying to restrict” Turkey’s defense procurements.

“We do not follow such a policy. We allow friendly and brotherly countries to benefit from the technology and information available to us,” Yıldırım said.

The executive committee of Turkey’s Defense Industry Undersecretariat convened on Nov. 2 to discuss the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and improvements in the defense industry infrastructure.

Chaired by Prime Minister Yıldırım the meeting included Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu for the first time. Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and Defense Industry Undersecretary İsmail Demir were also in attendance.

In recent years, Turkey has sought to build its domestic defense industry to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

The committee also discussed a controversial deal for the purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia, which has been criticized amid suggestions that it will not be compatible with NATO. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin earlier said Moscow received an “advance payment” from Ankara for the defense system, and the overall cost of delivering the S-400 missile defense system will exceed $2 billion, an official with Russia’s state-run defense company Rostec said on Nov. 2.

On Sept. 25, Defense Industry Undersecretary İsmail Demir said the delivery of the missile system would begin within two years.

However, despite the fact that Turkey demands technology transfer along with the Russian missile systems, the first part of the delivery does not envisage such a joint production.

Russia and Turkey are currently holding expert-level talks on a possible deal to transfer technology for the production of the S-400 air defense systems, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Turkey, Defense, Binali Yıldırım