Turkey's Erdogan says S-400 missile deal with Russia to be finished this week

ANKARA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Russian officials will meet this week to finalize the purchase of Russia's S-400 surface-to-air defense system, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"Our colleagues will come together this week to conclude this work," Erdogan said on a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in Ankara.

Stressing that Turkey's cooperation with Russia is strengthening day by day, Erdogan said that trade with Russia had risen 30 percent as of the first 10 months of 2017.

For his part, Putin also said Russia hoped to sign agreements of the defense industry with Turkey in the near future.

During the bilateral meeting held late Monday, the two leaders also exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional developments, particularly Syria situation. Enditem