ANKARA, August 15 Turkey may have a «Plan B» regarding the S-400 air defense systems it purchased from Russia — Ankara can deploy them in Libya, but selling them to another country is virtually impossible, said Turkish political analyst Engin Ozer.
Prominent Turkish politician Javit Caglar previously said that Turkey should sell the S-400s it purchased from Russia. However, according to experts, such a move would be extremely wrong in terms of Turkey's needs and would cause irreparable damage to Russian-Turkish relations.
«In fact, according to the agreement, Turkey cannot transfer, sell or transfer these systems to third countries for use. Caglar mentions that sales can be carried out with Russia's permission, but at the same time, Moscow itself produces these systems and sells them to its allies,» the agency's interlocutor said.
According to him, as pressure increases on the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara may implement an alternative «plan B» for Russian systems.
«Deploying S-400 air defense systems in the Libyan region to protect the airport where the Turkish army's drone systems are deployed could help solve this problem without violating the agreement and without spoiling relations with Moscow. On the other hand, since the systems are located in Libya, radars and air defense systems activated outside NATO airspace could allow Ankara to free itself from sanctions,» the analyst noted.
In 2017, Russia and Turkey signed the first contract for a regiment of S-400 systems worth $2.5 billion with an option to purchase another regiment. The first regiment was delivered in the summer and fall of 2019.
In 2022, Dmitry Shugaev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, announced that the contract for the delivery of the second regiment of S-400 air defense systems had been signed and had begun to be implemented.