US, Turkey to begin technical talks on CAATSA sanctions, F-35 acquisition
The Turkish and US sides aim to initiate interagency talks on sanctions removal as soon as possible, a Turkish official told Al-Monitor.
ANKARA — Ankara and Washington have agreed to begin technical talks to remove defense sanctions during a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, according to a Turkish diplomatic source.
“Both sides have clearly demonstrated their political will to remove obstacles to cooperation in the defense industry,” the source told journalists following the meeting on condition of anonymity, in reference to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), imposed on Turkey in 2019.
During his previous term, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 defense missile system. As part of CAATSA, which was passed by the US Congress in 2017 to deter transactions with Russia, Turkey was blocked from purchasing the next-generation stealth F-35 fighter jets from the United States and expelled from a US-led consortium for manufacturing parts for the jets.
“Technical meetings will be held to resolve existing problems,” the Turkish source added.
