Turkey's annual arms-buys rise to $4 billion

Turkey is spending nearly $4 billion for weapons acquisition in 2009, up about $500 million from the figure a few years ago, procurement officials have said.

Last year’s global economic crisis, the fallout from which also continued this year, has had no major effect on Turkey’s defense-equipment procurement as the country follows an earlier spending plan, they said.

“A few years ago, our spending was about $3.5 billion a year and now it is becoming $4 billion in 2009,” said one official.

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