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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has confirmed that Turkey tested the S-400 air defense millies, which was procured from Russia last year.
Reports and videos emerged last week that Turkey tested the missiles in the Black Sea province of Sinop, the airspace of which was closed on October 16 and 17.
When asked about the reports after the Friday prayer in İstanbul, Erdoğan said, "These tests were done, are being done. America's approach absolutely doesn't bind us."
The US has opposed Turkey's purchase of the air defense system and stated that it would impose sanctions on Ankara if it used it.
"Greece has S-300s. Let alone testing them, it used them. Does America ask such a [question] to them? So, the presence of a weapon belonging to Russia here disturbs these gentlemen," Erdoğan remarked and added that Turkey is determined to continue its own way.
Ankara and Moscow signed the agreement for the purchase of the S-400s after the failed coup in 2016. The first batch of the missiles was delivered to Turkey last July.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Yesterday (October 22), Russia's President Vladimir Putin said that Erdoğan "might seem tough, but is a flexible politician and reliable partner for Russia," when he was talking about the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.
"For us, Armenia and Azerbaijan are equal partners, and it's a huge tragedy for us to see people die," he said and noted that a compromise was needed to end the crisis.
Responding to a question on the recent developments in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, Erdogan said Turkey has also a right to take place in establishing peace at least as much as Russia that intends to join the negotiation process for the resolution of dispute and peace between the two countries.
He reiterated that Turkey is also among the members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group – co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US – which was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail.
The latest humanitarian truce in Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, came into force last Saturday.
Libya ceasefire
"The cease-fire agreement [in Libya] is not the one at the highest level. Time will show how long it will persist at a lower level," Erdogan told reporters following Friday prayers in Istanbul.
Earlier, the UN special envoy on Libya announced the signing of a cease-fire agreement between the delegations of both main warring sides in Libya.
Stephanie Turcos Williams, who heads the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said the Libyan parties reached an agreement for a "permanent" cease-fire in all areas of the country.
As the parties were signing the agreement, the UNSMIL released a statement, saying: "Good news for Libyans."
"The 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva today culminate in a historic achievement as Libyan teams reach a permanent cease-fire agreement across Libya. This achievement is an important turning point towards peace and stability in Libya," the UN mission said.
Increasing Covid-19 infections in Istanbul
Touching on the rising coronavirus cases in the country recently, Erdogan urged Turkish people to follow the measures and to avoid being in crowded places.
"Mask, distance, hygiene. We must approach them acutely, we have to be careful."
Earlier, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the novel coronavirus cases are once again on the rise across Turkey.
Warning of the upward trend in Istanbul, Koca said the number of coronavirus cases in the megacity has made up 40 percent of the nationwide toll, reaching five times of cases in the capital Ankara.
According to the latest official data, the overall coronavirus patient count in Turkey currently stands at 355,528. The virus has killed 9,584 people thus far, while 310,027 people have recovered. (PT/VK)
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