Turkey’s defense minister calls for ‘dialogue’ over S-400 sanctions
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also said he was optimistic that Turkey would return to the F-35 program.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said his government’s dispute with Washington over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system can be resolved through “dialogue” with the incoming administration.
“We are saying let’s not break things up in this way. Let’s sit down and talk and find a solution,” Akar told reporters in Ankara on Wednesday. “If the US side wants a solution, a solution could be found with work on the technical level.”
Responding to pressure from Congress, the Trump administration in December imposed limited sanctions — the first of their kind against a NATO ally — on Turkey over its multibillion-dollar purchase from Moscow. The long-awaited sanctions targeted the country’s defense procurement agency and its senior officials, but not Turkey’s financial system.
“It is a very problematic situation to turn back from the point we have come to. We invite [the United States] to distance themselves from threatening language such as sanctions,” Akar said.
