Page 17 - bne IntelliNews newspaper 14 July 2017

Southeast Europe
July 14, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 17
cow are currently sorting out technical details and it could take about one year to finalise the project.
Turkey started talks with China Precision Ma- chinery Import and Export Corp (CPMIEC) on the missile system in September 2013, but opted not to sign the final deal after Nato allies expressed concern over Ankara’s plans to buy the system, citing security and compatibility problems.
Ankara then turned to Russia to buy the anti-air- craft weapon system when in 2015 it cancelled the controversial deal with the Chinese company.
With Ankara and Russia restoring ties, the talks on the missile system have gained momentum.
“In the framework of our project to develop our national defence system project, we will cooperate with France and Italy. This decision has already been taken. We are now in talks with the US to cooperate in this area as well,” Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on July 4.
Regarding the purchase of the Russian system, Isik admitted that Ankara and Moscow still need- ed to resolve some financial issues.
It remains to be seen how Turkey’s Nato allies will react to Ankara’s missile deal with Russia.
The Turkish armed forces are the second largest in Nato, behind those of the US.
Ankara’s relations with two key Nato members, Germany and the US, have deteriorated over the past year.
Washington’s decision to arm and cooperate with the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the Raqqa offensive, deeply frustrated Ankara which sees the Kurdish group as a terrorist organisation because of its ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984.
Meanwhile Turkey’s relations with Germany have soured especially after the failed coup attempt last year. Ankara accuses Berlin of harbouring some of the coup plotters and members of other terrorist organisations such as PKK.
Bilateral relations hit a new low during the April ref- erendum campaign in Turkey when Erdogan threw "Nazi" jibes at Germany after local German authori- ties refused to allow Turkish ministers to attend pro-Erdogan rallies to address expatriate voters.
Germany last month decided to pull its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik base after Ankara denied
a group of German lawmakers permission to visit more than 250 German troops stationed there.
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