Chief of Staff Akar, Russian counterpart Gerasimov discuss S-400, Middle East

Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov on Friday in Ankara.

The generals discussed the situation in Iraq and Syria, the fight against terrorist groups and the S-400 missile defense system Turkey has approved to buy from Russia in their meeting, the president's office said.

Earlier this week President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara that the purchase of the S-400 defense system from Russia will be finalized this week.

The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers.

With the purchase of the S-400's, Ankara aims to build Turkey's first long-range air and anti-missile defense system to guard against threats in the region. Moreover, Turkey seeks to build its own missile defense systems as the S-400 deal also involves the transfer of technology and know-how.

The S-400 missiles, which were introduced in 2007, are the new generation of Russian missile systems, and so far Russia has only sold them to China and India.