A Russian Antonov military cargo plane, carrying parts of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, is unloaded after landing at the Murted Air Base in Ankara, Turkey, on July 12, 2019. The first batch of Russian S-400 air defense system was delivered in Turkish capital city of Ankara on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. (Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday by purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system Turkey is trying to guarantee peace and its national security, local media reported.
"By getting the S-400 missiles Turkey is not getting ready for war," the state-run Anadolu agency quoted Erdogan as saying in a meeting with media representatives in Istanbul.
Erdogan said Turkey's other efforts in its defense industry are also the result of its desire to bolster peace and security, Anadolu noted.
Turkey's purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia has sparked threatened sanctions from the United States, but Erdogan said U.S. President Donald Trump would find a way of consensus in the dispute, broadcaster Haberturk said.
Meanwhile, the delivery of the missile systems is continuing as the seventh Russian plane carrying S-400 parts landed at Murted Air Base in Ankara.
