Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
The US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Franklin Jeffrey has arrived in Turkey, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media.
During his visit to Ankara, Jeffrey will hold a series of meetings with Turkish officials, including Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar.
Such issues as the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria, the creation of a safe zone near the Turkish border, the supplies of the S-400 Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to Turkey and the plans to purchase the Patriot SAMs from the US will be discussed during the talks.
On Jan. 17, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the delivery of the Patriot SAMs to the Turkish Armed Forces is linked to a number of issues.
Cavusoglu pointed out that one of such issues is the date of delivery of the US SAMs, with the other being the possibility of their purchase through a loan.
He pointed out that Turkey also intends to organize production of the American Patriot SAMs, as agreed with Russia, which also intends to supply the Turkish Air Force with its S-400 SAMs.
The initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey regarding the S-400 came in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on Sept. 12, 2017.
Turkey is the first NATO member to acquire SAMs of such type from Russia.
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