Nato’s worries are evident, Turkey tests Russian-made S-400 missiles in the Black Sea

ILLUSTRATION. Turkey has officially confirmed that it has carried out testing of its controversial Russian-made S-400 missile defense system. REUTERS / Fabrizio Bensch

Source: Arab News | Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie

KONTAN.CO.ID – ANKARA. On Thursday (10/22/2020), Turkey officially confirmed that it had tested the controversial Russian-made S-400 missile defense system. This testifies to the concerns felt by NATO allies.

Launch Arab NewsThe US $ 2.5 billion test of anti-aircraft weapons purchased last year from Moscow took place last week in the northern Turkish province of Sinop, just across the Black Sea from Russian territory.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO’s command and control infrastructure, but would instead be used as a standalone system similar to the use of the Russian-made S-300, a weapon that exists within NATO.

By this comparison, Akar is implicitly referring to Athens, currently Turkey’s main challenger, which has Russian-produced missiles in its arsenal.

Also Read: Warming up, Turkey is ready to deploy troops to Azerbaijan to fight Armenia

Arab News reported, experts believe that official statements about Turkey’s testing of Russian air defense systems could spark tensions between Ankara and Washington, which claims the missiles could pose a serious threat to the alliance’s military equipment.

Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers met on Thursday to discuss issues affecting the security of the alliance.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara office think tank The German Marshall Fund of the US, said Turkey’s argument that the S-400 would be a standalone system not connected to NATO’s radar network had been made several times, but failed to convince America.

Also Read: The Armenian-Azerbaijan War, the US accused Turkey of inflaming the situation

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