Turkey says not moving away from NATO with S-400 deal

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar says his country is not distancing itself from the US-led NATO military alliance by acquiring Russian S-400 missile defense systems.

Akar said Ankara should not be excluded from the F-35 fighter jet production program over the deal, noting that such a move would put "very serious" burdens on the other partners in the project.

"There is no clause saying 'you will be excluded if you buy S-400s' in this partnership. Excluding us just because any one country wants so would not be in line with justice, laws or rights. This should not happen," Akar said in an interview with broadcaster NTV on Friday.

The United States announced on April 1 that it would be suspending all “deliveries and activities” related to Turkey’s procurement of F-35 jets over Ankara’s plans to purchase the S-400s.

Moscow and Ankara finalized an agreement on the delivery of the S-400 in December 2017. Back in April 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said in Ankara that they had agreed to expedite the delivery of the S-400. At the time, it was said that the delivery could be made between late 2019 and early 2020.

The US and a number of NATO member states criticized Turkey for its planned purchase of the S-400, arguing the missile batteries are not compatible with those of the military alliance.

The US also warned of tough sanctions if Turkey pursued plans to acquire S-400. Ankara, however, said it would not go back on the deal with Russia.

Turkey also proposed to form a working group with the US to determine whether the S-400s pose a threat to the F-35s, but says US officials have not responded to the offer yet.

Akar said that Ankara was attempting to clarify to the US and other partners in the F-35 project that the S-400s would not pose a threat to the F-35s, and added that his country had taken measures to prevent that.

President Erdogan on Tuesday criticized the US for threatening to stall the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to his country, saying “The F-35 project is bound to collapse if it excludes Turkey.”

PressTV-Erdogan: F-35 project bound to collapse without Turkey

President Erdogan says the F-35 fighter jet project without Turkey is bound to collapse, and that Ankara is being treated unfairly over the project.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Turkish minister said his country was still assessing the latest US offer to sell Raytheon Co. Patriot missile defense system, which he described as more positive than Washington's previous offers.

Turkey said two weeks ago it expected US President Donald Trump to use an S-400 sanctions waiver, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Ankara could face penalties under a law that calls for sanctions against countries buying military gear from Russia.

The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.

Ankara is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkish border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey’s air defense.

Before gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly walked out of a $3.4-billion contract for a similar Chinese system. The withdrawal took place under purported pressure from Washington.

Ankara’s ties with its Western allies in NATO have been strained over a range of other issues, including Washington’s support for Kurdish militants in Syria as well as the US government’s refusal to hand over Fethullah Gulen, a powerful opposition figure living in the US blamed for a coup attempt against the Ankara government in July 2016.

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