Putin, Erdogan finalise S-400 missile defence system agreement

Our “Colegs will come together this week to finish work”, Erdogan said during a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara.

S-400 is Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft system and can maintain three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistics and navigation missiles.

The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at the same time and has a height of 27 kilometers, reports “Hurriyet Daily News”, Periscopi broadcast.

On the topic of trade, Erdogan said co-operation between Ankara and Moscow was becoming stronger “day by day”.

Our bilatheral trade volume with Russia increased 30 percent in the first 10 months of 2017. We have a harmonic working environment at the political level”, Erdogan said.

Both leaders have met eight times this year. Erdogan said Ankara and Moscow will hold a seventh meeting of the Council of Summit Co-operation by 2018.

Commercial Relations

Putin, meanwhile, said the barriers to trade and economic ties had been removed.

“Brenda the first eight months of [2017], Turkish agricultural exports to Russia increased by 1.8 per cent,”, the president said.

Moscow has imposed sanctions on Turkey following the collapse of a Russian plane on the Turkish-Syrian border in November 2015.

Returning to the Middle East, Erdogan said Russia and Turkey agreed on the Jerusalem issue.

We believe in the same approach as Putin. We agreed to keep in touch with this issue,” Erdogan said.

“Jerusalem's status should be addressed through direct contact between Israel and Palestine,” Erdogan said./Persycopi/