UPDATE - Erdogan, Putin meet on sidelines of G20

REVISES DECK, LEDE, ADDS ERDOGAN AND PUTIN'S REMARKS

By Enes Kaplan and Bahattin Gonultas

OSAKA, Japan (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Saturday that there were no delays in the delivery of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.

Delivery of the system to Turkey is proceeding as planned, and there has been no setback in the deal with Moscow, Erdogan said.

He made the remarks minutes before meeting with his counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan. The talks lasted 55 minutes.

Joint production of the missiles and its technology transfer are a priority for Turkey, Erdogan said.

Following protracted efforts to purchase an air defense system from the U.S. with no success, Ankara decided in 2017 to purchase the Russian S-400s.

American officials urged Turkey to buy U.S. Patriot missiles, arguing the Russian system would be incompatible with NATO systems and expose U.S. F-35 fighter jets to possible Russian subterfuge.

Turkey, however, emphasized that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance.

Touching on tourism, Erdogan said Russian people’s interest in Turkey has been increasing with every passing day.

Expressing his happiness to meet with Erdogan, Putin said the trade volume between the two countries has risen by 15%.

“From both sides, there are around $10 billion in investments. In addition to this, work on a 900-million-euro joint investment platform is ongoing,” Putin said.

Regarding the number of Russian tourists coming to Turkey, Putin said “6 million Russian tourists visited Turkey last year. This was a record number.”