Turkey will cooperate with France and Italy on developing a national missile defense system project, Defense Minister Fikri Işık said on July 4, saying the focus was on development of the systems rather than purchasing.
"We will meet our immediate demands by buying the S-400 systems, and develop our own national air and missile defense systems on the other hand," Işık said in an interview on state broadcaster TRT Haber.
"All technical work is completed, and we have arrived at the final decision point on buying S-400 systems from Russia," Işık added.