US sanctions against Turkey over the supplies of Russian S-400 air defense systems (SAMs) demonstrate Washington's attempt to gain a competitive edge in the military-industrial complex. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this at a briefing on Wednesday.
"This is another manifestation of the inability to withstand competition by playing by the rules. [The US] needs additional steps in securing some kind of competitive advantage for itself, even though these steps stand outside the law. These include unilateral sanctions in the line of the military-industrial complex as well," she said.
According to Zakharova, the US uses a similar scheme in the media, energy and other areas. "Everywhere the concept is the same: to help themselves, their producers, their businessmen by such illegitimate actions," noted the diplomat.
On December 14, the US authorities announced the imposition of restrictions on Turkey's Defense Industry Authority, its head and three other citizens of the republic - Mustafa Alper Deniz, Serhat Gencoglu and Faruk Yigit - under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). According to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, the restrictions send a "clear signal" that the United States will "fully enforce CAATSA" and "will not tolerate significant deals with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS
Based on materials from TASS