ANKARA, Jan 19 (AFP) - Turkey will hold talks with Italian company Alenia Aeronautica on a 219-million-dollar contract to buy 10 patrol and surveillance aircraft for the Turkish coast guard, Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul announced Wednesday.
In return for the deal, Alenia Aeronautica pledged to provide off-set contracts worth 240 million dollars to Turkish firms, Gonul was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying after a meeting of the defence industry executive committee.
The minister gave no other details.
Alenia Aeronautica, a unit of Italian defence group Finmeccanica, was one of three companies shortlisted for the project.
The other two bidders were EADS Casa, the Spanish subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, and Canadian Commercial Corporation Field Aviation Company Inc. of Canada.
01/19/2005 16:12 GMT - AFP