Turkey rejects US ultimatums, says will not back down on Russia deal
Turkey will not back down from its decision to buy Russian
S-400 missile defense systems despite US warnings that it will lead to Ankara’s
exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said on Thursday.
In what has become the main source of tension between Ankara
and Washington, the NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey’s
purchase of the S-400s, which Washington has said could trigger US sanctions.
US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan last week
sent his Turkish counterpart a letter warning that Ankara would be pulled out
of the F-35 jet program unless it changes course from its plans to install the
defenses.
In what was Turkey’s first direct response to the letter,
Cavusoglu said no one can give Turkey ultimatums.
“Turkey will not back down from its decisions with these
kinds of letters,” he said. “Turkey bought S-400, it is going to be delivered
and stationed in Turkey.”
The S-400s are not compatible with NATO’s defense systems
and Washington says they would compromise its F-35s, which Turkey also plans to
buy. Turkey has proposed that the allies form a working group to assess the
impact of the S-400s, but has yet to receive a response from the United States.
Cavusoglu on Thursday repeated Turkey’s call for the joint
working group, saying experts from both countries should come together to
evaluate US concerns.
A day earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that
Turkey had completed the deal with Russia and that the systems will be
delivered in July. Russia has said it will begin the delivery of the systems in
July.
Erdogan also said that Ankara would challenge its potential
removal from the F-35 program on every platform and hold those who exclude
Turkey accountable.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Presidential
Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said he hoped the F-35 issue would not escalate to an
international issue, and added that Turkey would receive the jets.
“The F-35s, which are Turkey’s right, will most certainly be
delivered to our country,” Kalin said. “We hope that the United States will
turn back from this stance that permanently damages bilateral ties by using the
S-400s as an excuse as soon as possible,” he said.
Kalin also said a meeting between Erdogan and Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin was being planned at the G20 summit in Japan, where
Erdogan is also expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.
LETTER DISPUTE
The United States has threatened to impose sanctions on
Ankara under its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
(CAATSA), the possibility of which has spooked investors and caused a selloff
in the lira this year.
The currency slid more than 1% against the dollar on
Thursday.
While Turkey has dismissed the US warnings, Washington has
said discussions are taking place with Ankara on selling Turkey rival Raytheon
Co Patriot defense systems. But, Erdogan has said the US offer was not “as good
as the S-400s”.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said Turkey is working on a
response to Shanahan’s letter and that it will be delivered in coming days.
The ministers later spoke by telephone on Thursday and
discussed the letter, Turkey’s defense ministry said, adding that Akar had
“emphasized the improper wording not in line with the spirit of the Alliance”
in the letter during the call.
Kalin on Thursday reiterated that Shanahan’s letter to Akar
was not in spirit of the alliance between the NATO allies, and added that he
had discussed the issue with Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton.
Israel’s deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said the
strains between Turkey and the United States could help strengthen ties with
Israel and boost the country’s participation in the F-35 program.
“It could also very much be that… the State of Israel will
get another portion within the framework of the F-35 and additional things
which, in part, were meant to have been transferred to factories in Turkey,” he
told Army Radio.