Erdogan Dissatisfied With US Position On Loan For Patriot Systems Deal, Joint Production

Turkey is dissatisfied with the US reluctance to provide Turkey with a loan needed for purchase of Patriot air defense systems as well as to organize joint production of the systems, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2019) Turkey is dissatisfied with the US reluctance to provide Turkey with a loan needed for purchase of Patriot air defense systems as well as to organize joint production of the systems, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

"Joint production, providing a loan and early delivery are criteria that we attach importance to. Although they [the United States] are positive for early delivery, they can't promise providing credit and joint production," Erdogan told reporters, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily news media outlet.

The Turkish president also reaffirmed his country's commitment to purchase Russian-made S-400 Triumph (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) air defense systems.

"We have made the S-400 deal with Russia. Therefore, a step back is out of question. This is over ... We are working for the deployment of S-400s in July as promised," the Turkish president noted.

According to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, the possible Patriot purchase will not affect the Ankara-Moscow agreement of the purchase of the S-400 systems.